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Full text of "SkateBoarder Magazine - Vol. 2, No. 5"

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SP Eu. Ae 5 MAGE MLM cc 0h: AL. Te RPRE AKA RW cds BAN an oa at Oe Tn, 
liar Beier NCIS @ ) 





etn 2 RES: PoRSIE SO 









Dea BALLAD: 
MT. BALDY PIPELINE 


[ORGER JOHNSON: 
TOWARDS BETTER BALANCE 


SKATE PARKS: REALITY 






@e Were proud to announce ore eee model 150 truck and Cadillac 










ee ed pata wig 
ReeS IA as-is <0 een 
fill your skateboarding.needs. The new model-150 truck employs the revalutionary” ne 
Meciec omen atoll on meio Ker | ll elma c-treyaien LU aantero. oll Ronan) (e151 el Je) fo ae a 
Berac—yatefamKormrolire](on Allaire olUplir< tel cofgrs Ural Lola o Nea) og EoloyiN19:22 4p\01 sho 10 Kp ae a 


‘depend on. Tubular axle construction provides greater pliability. than the old, solid design, « “5- 

improving shock absorption, traction, and return fofcoyosstaci= all Mig men elo) Kole <= Mod aman 

screws into the main tubular axle, allawing for edsy maintenance and.economicalre-; 

placement. The double-sealed high precision bearings require less care for longer-lasting ae eg 

Soman ome rnoh nein oie rn =o) fa iar Uic=- (Ul cal are = oLe 1g aolaKe) ne] °)|°:<le|, Meee ea aed? ’ 
The Cadillac Dk-51| Wheel is entirely new. Hand poured, it is more uniform.than the’ * © i ioe 

old injection molded wheels. We make it transparent so that any imperfection would Ae SR a 

be detectable immediately: You can see just what you're getting! The perfect comsistency = 

of this new wheel provides smooth action and less sideslip, even at high speeds. oil Salhi 
Instead of relying om old designs, Bahne constantly seeks new ideas teimprove their © . 

already great products. It’s worth the effort: The mew model 150 truck and Cadillac Dk-54 


wheels prove it. Try something new from Bahne. 


oe] 





Products of Bahne and Company. Dealers welcome. For further information call or write: 
Bahne Skateboards, Post Office Box 326, Encinitas, California 92024; (714) 753-0255. 


wee salen 











Model 3000 100% Urethane Skateboard. 
Now a skateboard made from the same dur- 
EL YM eee CMC ted ah 2d 
ee SER Rae Ch 
board industry. Made from 100% urethane, 
the top is virtually indestructable. Tops are 
available in 3 colors (red, green, or blue) and 
have slight flex and a kicktail for maneuver- 
ability. All feature the all steel RSI trucks 
and Racing Slick wheels with precision bear- 
ings. Available through your dealer or direct 
from RSI for $49.95. Sent postage paid any- 
where in the world. Sendto: — 


Roller Sports, ine. 
TTR eee Ee ee ed 


(904) 384-3219 
PY ge hah 





RES 





Ve mie Ce 
Fibrefiex great? 


















Bennet Hijacker trucks are 
wide tracking for better 
turning leverage. They're 
more durable, stable, and 
maneuverable than ordinary 
tablet 


Resiliant four-inch non-skid 
tape covers the full length 
of the board for ultimate 
safety. traction, and comfort. 


The high-gloss dipped varnish 
finish gives the surface a 
lustrous sheen. 


The top compression layer 

is made of 99% unidirectional 
fibreglass for ideal modulus 
elasticity and flexual strength. 





Bimini ag 
works in conjunction with the 
compression layer to store 
energy and return it ina 
pump. This gives a powerful 


Road Rider wheels are aol memati 


formulated for optimum 
adhesion on vertical walls: 
they also deliver up to 20'%) 
greater speed. Sealed 
precision bearings provide 

a smooth, stable ride 


The thin liner layers are made 
of bidirectional fibreglass 
and cloth bonded by high: 
strength epoxy adhesive. 
They laterally reinforce the 
board. 


The high-grade solid rock 
maple core spaces the layers 
for the proper degree of flex 
and torque. 


will still resume its original shape. Always. This non- 
fatigueing quality is called “100% reflex memory.’ We 
invented it. Only Fibreflex has it. Reflex memory pro- 
vides a sure set when turning and intensifies thrust out 
of the turn. It allows power-pumping for acceleration 
and speed control. 


Top quality. A leader in progressive design for ten 
years, we invented the flexible laminated skateboard, 
infinitely expanding the possibilities and pleasures of 
the sport. We use only the best grades of fibreglass, 
wood, and epoxy to build the best skateboards in the 


world. We equip them with nothing but the top-of-the- 
line wheels and trucks, such as Power Paw, Sims, Allli- 
gator, Tracker, and Chicago, so that you get maximum 


traction, control, and stability. Layers of three falbiicrao alan 


materials are laminated together, heat-cured and pressed, 
in a unique process that makes a Fibreflex both light- 
weight and strong. The tension and compression of the 
fibreglass outer layers working upon the solid hard-rock 
maple core provide maximum flex and return. No matter 
how often you flex your Gordon and Smith board, it 


The flex and torque of a Fibreflex give the board a 
‘high degree of versatility in conforming to varying ter- 
rain and surface conditions. On concrete or asphalt, 
downhill, flatland, or in pools, for tricks or slalom, Fibre- 
flex is best. Also, there are four distinctive models of 
Gordon and Smith boards to choose from. 

Why is Fibreflex one of the top selling skateboards 
in the world? Because it’s great. Ask for Gordon and 


Smith boards from your local dealer. 


EA LE 


SKATEBOARDS 


5465 Gaines Street, San Diego, Californi 


a 92110, (714) 297-3892 


Pale stile ilo) POO Land 





Volume 2, Number 5 June 1976 


FEATURES 
46 Interview: Torger Johnson - Brian Gillogly 
52 Long Dogs With Short Tales - John Smythe 
58 The Magic Rolling Board - MacGillivray-Freeman 
66 Interview: Tom Sims - Brian Gillogly 
84 Skate Parks: Reality - Warren Bolster 
90 Advancing Slalom Technique - Henry Hester 
123 Ballad Through The Badlands - Mellow Cat 


PHOTOGRAPHY 
72 Focus 


DEPARTMENTS 

15 Skate Post 
30 Skate Tip: Cut the Jive & Jog” + Chris Yandall 
41 Skate Safe - Jeff Campbell 
62 Contest Coverage 
94 Who's Hot 

117 SRA Report 

118 Off The Wall 

135 New Products 

143 Skate Extra 


Copyright 1976 by SURFER Publications, Inc., Dana Point, California, a FOR BETTER LIVING, 
INC. Company. Publication offices: 34249 Camino Capistrano, Capistrano Beach, California. 
SKATEBOARDER Is published bi-monthly. Subscriptions: 6 issues (1 year) for $5.00 (foreign 
$6.00). Application to mail at second-class postage rates Is pending at San Clemente and 
additional mailing offices. Postmaster: send form 3579 to SKATEBOARDER, Post Office Box 
1028, Dana Point, California 92629. All subscription correspondence should be sent to the 
above address. 
























CONTENTS SPECIAL: Variated Hawanan flashes of Roy Jameson 
slidin' free, Photos: Darrell Jones, 


ON THE COVER: The calm amidst the storm. Mike Weed well 
poised despite elevated intensity. Photo: Warren Bolster. 





A al — | 
va SRF 
Cas The 


NN etea 


elt ite) 


Pes Baa tel -t. 1-4 





ADULT — Sizes: S(34-36), MM(38-40). L(42-44), XL(46) 
Styles: Short Sleeve (SS) $5.25, Long Sleeve (LS) $6.50 
Tie Die (TD) short sleeve only $6.50 
CHILDREN — Sizes: S(6-8), M(10-12), (14-16) 
Styles: Available in short sleeve only (C) $4.25 
GIRL'S HALTERS (H) — S, M, L $4.25 
The styles of shirts that are available witha given design are indicated after 
design title and ONLY THOSE STYLES. 


If desired, list first three color preferences for shirts, sandals and trunks. 
Color substitution may still be necessary. 


val Surf JSSOLSCIC 





OsOMOLOXL 











































































1 
2 Cadillac Wheels(_]SSCILS()C OSOMOLOXL 
3 Bahne Skbds. (]SSCJLS(JC OSOMOLOAL 
4 Ski Stoned. (also (-) Ski Bare 

rskiUSA)CISSCOLS OSOMDOLOXL 
5 Tropical JSS[JT0 DsSOMOLOXL 
6 Oly (also (] Coors (_] Michelob 

f ] Bud (J Primo) (SS only OSOMOLOXL 
7 Malibu. Cal (also h 

} Huntington Beach [_} Trestles) 

(qssoe OSOMOLOXL 
8 Alligator Wheels) SS(_]C OSOMOLOXL 
9 Hawan Dolphin] TD only OsSOMOLOXL 
10 Freedom(jJSSCILSOC OSOMOLOXL 
11. Sun Surt S SOCDH OSOMOLOLS 
12 Stoker (J qLstyc os 
13 Ogden. Bird) TD only Os 
14 Ogden. Sea Shell (_ TD only Ose 
15 California Surter 

|SSEILSHICCIHLITO oso 

16 cightning Bolt. Hawait {also surfboards by () Bing (} 

{-:Rick) —]SS only 0 






Spinning Wheels f 


1 Off TheLip 


IMMEDIATE 
DELIVERY 
GUARANTEED! 


THE SURFER’S ORIGINAL 


DEPENDABLE 


MAIL ORDER SINCE 1962 





<3 T-SHIRTS $5.25 
children’s $4.25 


22. Asstd. Flora 


a 








































































































SSOLSOCOH OSOMOLOXL 
23. Silhouette Surfer] SS(ULS(QC OSsSOMOLOXL 
24, Dynamic Surfer 
OssolsocotD OSOMOLDOXL 
25. Val Surf Skbd. Capital (J SSC OSOMOLOXL 
26. Fibreflex Skbds. (JSSCJC OsSOMOLOX 
SANDALS: (-] BEACHCOMBER BILL (Neoprene sole, nylon straps) — () 
color $9.95. [J two color $12.95, [) three color $13.95: (] DECKERS 








(Neoprene sole. nylon straps): Lightning Bolts $15, 95; C)STYLED STEER 
(leather) $9.95; () Hawaiian Slaps (grass mat/rubber sole, velveteen 
straps) $4.95: Shoe size 
LICENSE PLATE FRAMES: (-] U.S.A. Surfing; [ California, I'd Rather Be 
Surfing: [1] U.S.A. Skateboarding (not shown) (] Set of 2$5.50, (1 1 frame 
$2.95 
LEASHES: [-} cinch up $2.50, () velcro #4.50. () power cord $7 50, 
[] box screw attachment $1 95. (J “Stick It” deck mounting $3.95. 
(_] cup insert $1 50 
SWIM FINS. CHURCHILL SURFER: (J soft blade $19.95; CL) stiff blade 
$22 95 Shoe Size___; [_] Fin Tethers $3.95: 
BOOKS: [-] Skateboard Freestyle $1.50: C) Skateboard Handbook $2 95; 
(J Surfer or (1) Surfing Photo Annual $2.00: Surf Guide to () Cal. or 
{ ] Hawan $2 95 
VISORS: [) Leather $6 95: (7] VAL SURF Floral $3.50: [1 Plain color $2 50 
-] VAL SURF “Cat Hat’ $4 95 
































TRUNKS (waist size ___) HANG TEN - [_) cotton $12. (nylon $11. (jleg 
band $13. OCEAN PACIFIC = (jaylon $12. () floral print silky $11, KATIN 
[J ayion $15. () floral print $14 
Leather w/ surf design (_]Belt$7 95 waist __. (1) wallet $6 95, (_] key ring 
$195 


Five Summer Stories Soundtrack (_] Record {_) 8-track $6 50 
} Going Surtin’ Soundtrack Record $6 50 
=) VAL SURF Wax. 10 for $3 95" cool | ] cold (} tropical 
— Ding Tape $1 95 
} Wet Suit repair glue $1 50 
FINS UNLIMITED $9 95 ~} Brewer —; Downing —> Dolphin 
SKIMBOARDS. $19 95 <j Resin/wood _> Plexiglass 
MOREY BOOGIES ~ large $49 —> small $26 




















BUMPER STICKERS 75¢ (includes postage): (I'd Rather Be Surfing, 
Rather Be Skateboarding. [) Surfers Do It In The Tube; (] Surfers Hit The 














Lip. ( Keep Surfing, () Surf Bare 
DECALS 45¢ (includes postage): () VAL SURF. (1) VAL SURF Skate. (] Pray 
For Surf, (] Bing, [) G&S. [) Hansen, (J Hobie. () O'Neill, (] Hollow 
W.AV.E.. [J Aloha Hawaii, [1] Hang 5 Huntington. (J Pair foot prints. 
( Kanvas by Katin. (J Lightning Bolt Hawaii, (] Surfer. Skateboarder 
Mag . (J G&S Fibretlex 
CLOTH PATCHES $1.50 (includes postage) VAL SURF, Keep on 
Surfin’. (]!'d Rather Be Surfin’, () Hawaii, (1 Pair foot prints. () Surt’s up 
[] Complete brochure of additional T-shirts, O'Neill Wet Suits, skateboards 


& accessories 50¢ 


























































































































fo : 4807 Whitsett Avenue 
North Hollywood. CA 91607 
(213) 769-6977 


= 23309 Mulholland Drive 
~ = A Woodland Hills. CA 91364 
(213) 888-6488 


PLEASE SEND MAIL ORDERS TO: 


Val Surf Box 4003 North Hollywood, CA 91607 


OSTAGE & HANDLING. Please add per 'tem USA 50¢ surface 
$1.00 air, Foreign 75¢ surtace. $2 00 air 
Enclose check or money order (foreign payable with international money 
order) $ plus postage & handling (Cal residents add 6% 











sales tax) $ total $ 
DEALER INQUIRIES ACCEPTED 
Name 

Address 








City 


State Zip 


PLEASE NOTE: The price of a complete skateboard is the sum total of one 
board, two trucks, four wheels, any accessories and the appropriate 
postage. . .No additional charge for assembling. 

It desired, list first three color preferences for all boards. Color substitution 

may still be necessary. 

BOARDS ONLY (BLANKS) 

[OVAL SURF heat pressed fiberglass, grip deck, solid colors: (24° 27" 
(2) 30" — $10.95; C Surfer Print or () Hawaiian floral print (not shown) 
$12.95. 

[OVAL SURF laminated fiberglass, grip deck, abstract coloring (no two alike): 
BD 24" BD 27: D flat 1 kick tail [kick nose & tail — $15.95 

[VAL SURF aluminum (highest grade), solid colors: (9 24° 1) 27" Dfilat 
DO kick tail ( kick nose & tail — $17.95. 

(VAL SURF mahogany wood, grip deck: () 24" () 27" — $8.95, 1) 32” 
(0 36" — $10.95, [) 40” — $11.95. 

(VAL SURF polypropelene plastic, grip deck: (24. (1) flat D kick tail — 
$5.95. 

COBAHNE pressed fiberglass, grip deck, solid colors: (] 24° () 27" 1) 30" 
— $16.50 

(G&S FIBREFLEX wood/tiberglass laminations, grip taped: () 26" [) 28" 
flat, ( 25" or () 27" kick tail — $23.95. 

(Following boards not shown): 

[3 WAYNE BROWN laminated fiberglass, grip deck, kick tail, 24°" ~ $16.95. 

(© BANZAI aluminum, kick nose and tail, 24°" — $15.95. 

(D GX-CALIBER plastic, kick back, 24°" — $6.50. 

(CQ GRENTEC GT plastic, 24° — $6.50. 

(HANG TEN pressed fiberglass, surter design: () 24° (27 — $17.95 

(HOBIE laminated fiberglass: () 24" (1) 27" - $19.95 

() WEBER: ( 24” [) 29" 1) Camber flex laminated fiberglass — $24.95, 
(GJ Woody kick tail — $18.95. 

(1 LOGAN Earth Ski wood: ( 24” ( 27" [) 29" — $13.95. 


P.O. Box 4003 
North Hollywod, CA 91607 


TRUCKS, each (2 needed per board) 

CUBENNETT: [jHijacker™ 5" axle $6.50, () Pro 5-7/8" AXLE $8.95, [] Pro 
Ad-Trak™ 6-5/8" axle $10.50 (Pro & Ad-Trak® take precision wheels 

only). 
(1) X-CALIBER: [) Standard $3.50, 7] Galaxy $3.95, [1] Competition $5.95, 
(new Spring $10.95. 
(OBAHNE: [) Standard $5.95, [] Wide (takes precision wheels only) $9.95. 
CO TRACKER $10.95. [) CALIFORNIA SLALOM $7.95. () CHICAGO $3.50. 
(SURE GRIP $3.75. 
WHEELS, each (4 needed per board) 
Precision Wheels (price includes 2 precision bearings & spacer) 
(BENNETT ALLIGATOR™ (won't fit on Chicago, Sure Grip, X-Cal) $7.50. 
(ROAD RIDER: [2 slick $4.50, (7) 4 stoker $6.50, [Jnew ‘'4x4"" $7.00. 
(SIMS Pure Juice: () competition 2¥2"' tall x 2%" wide, [) bowl rider 
2¥4" tall y 2-11/16" wide $6.75. 

(2 POWER PAW: [[) small $4.50, [1] large $6.50 

ROLLS ROYCE: [) Silver Shadow slick $4.25, [] Silver Cloud stoker 
$6.00. 

(7 WEBER Performer: (7 slick $4.25, () stoker $6.25. 

(1 ROLLER SPORT Stoker $6.25. 

(CO CADILLAC DK 51 $6.25. 

(J CALIFORNIA Turbo: [7] slick $4.95, (] stoker $6.50. 

Loose Ball Wheels 

( ROLLER SPORT: ( Tuit 99¢. () Mark IV $1.50. [ Racing Slick 
$1.75, [ Big Wheel $1.25, [) Stoker $3.50. 

(CADILLAC: (reg. $1.75. [) Da Kine slick $2.25. Flex $2.75, 
© Stoby $3.50 

[POWER PAW: (} small $2.00, (J large $3.50 

ACCESSORIES 

Wrenches (truck style 
$1.95, [ Flat 50¢. 


): DD 4-Way Socket $2.95, [) Socket “T”’ 


Elevator shock pads: () ¥%" 50¢, [ 2" $1.00. 

Grip tape per foot: widths — (1) 1° 25¢, () 2" 50¢, 113" 75¢, 17.4" $1.00, 
06" $1.50. 

(Ball bearings, loose 2¢ each, No. 
each, No. 

(Wheel extenders, fits 5/16'° axles $2.25 pair. 

ar most complete mail order brochure of skateboards & accessories, 

0¢. 


, O Precision bearings $1.25 


4807 Whitsett Avenue 
North Hollywood, CA 91607 
(213) 769-6977 


23309 Mulholland Drive 
Woodland Hills, CA 91364 
(213) 888-6488 


PLEASE SEND MAIL ORDERS TO: 
Val Surl Box 4003 North Hollywood CA 91607 


POSTAGE & HANDLING, Please add: U.S.A.~skateboards and/or 
trucks w/wheels $2.50 surface, $4 air, wheels or trucks only $1.50 
surface, $2.50 air, accessories 75¢ surface, $1.25 air per order: 
FOREIGN - skateboards and/or trucks w/wheels $5 surface, $18 air. 
wheels or trucks only $3 surface, $5 air, accessories $2 surface, $3 air 
per order 

Enclose check or money order (foreign payable with international money 
order): $ plus postage and handling (Cal. residents add 
6% sales tax) $ = total $ 

Name 

Address. 

City 

State 








DON'T BE LEFT OUT... 


. . .Whew SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE 
OT ACU OCALA ATIC (SOROS SOLLL Oy 
to 6 hot, action-packed, issues for owly 
$5.00 ond, receive thon by mail, Cond your 
nome, address, zip and chock ov money ordov 
RTM oC 

CKATEBOARDER, 
ea ee 
NT SL RO Rea] 


An 












EDITOR 
ME LaR i Celi clg 


ART DIRECTOR 
Byron Gates, Jr. 


ASSOCIATE EDITOR 
Brian Gillogly 
Kurt Ledterman 


CONTRIBUTING EDITOR 
Cindy Berryman 
Chris Yandall 


ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR 
Todd Key 


ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR 
Michele Bosanko Leighton 


CONTRIBUTING ARTIST 
Jim Evans 


STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS 
Warren Bolster 
Pa Tele 
Jeff Divine 
John Graves 
Larry Pope 
PSM dehy 
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT 
Chris Maxwell 


PUBLISHER 
okey Mut Ty 


EDITORIAL DIRECTOR 


Steve Pezman 


ADVERTISING DIRECTOR 
Don Kremers 


ADVERTISING MANAGER 
Dave Dash 


COMMUNICATIONS 


Connie Cantu 





























































SKATEBOARDER’s coverage 
and distribution is worldwide. The 
magazine is published bi-monthly. 





CONTRIBUTIONS: 
SKATEBOARDER welcomes story, 
art and photo contributions. Photo- 
story articles and fiction should be 

directed to EDITOR— 
SKATEBOARDER MAGAZINE. 
Miscellaneous photos should be 
addressed to PHOTO EDITOR. 
Mark envelopes PRESS PHOTO— 

DO NOT BEND, and carefully pack 
negatives and transparencies. All 

contributions must be accompanied 

by a self-addressed, stamped 
envelope. SKATEBOARDER 
MAGAZINE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE 
FOR UNSOLICITED 
CONTRIBUTIONS. Surfer 
Publications retain reprint rights. 
Contributor retains all other rights 
for resale, republication, etc. Send 
all contributions to 
SKATEBOARDER, Box 1028, Dana 
Point, California 92629. 






ADVERTISING RATES available 
upon request. Contact Don Kremers 
or Dave Dash at SURFER, Box 
1028, Dana Point, California 92629, - 








re Fae ie Bi ot seh * IT “a * © a. wae. ewe aan CU ee ee 

Keita } it , tee ehh hae _ ae ce ME 7: ra ay Jel a “ ra) ig 

Nar rane AoE A? Welk Ah an ; ‘ ( ee! } ri i Pee 
AR RAA TARP FAL 

A MAJOR EN«! 

yt Rash ad 


ANNOUNCIN 





1B 












FP (ITTSBURUEA SKATEBOARD TRUCKS 


ADVANCED DESIGN UTILIZES THE MOST MODERN MANUFACTURING 
METHODS AND TECHNIQUES. ENGINEERED FOR GREATER CONTROL AND 
SAFETY-MACHINE TESTED FOR LONG LIFE. PATENT PENDING 


FP ITTSBUAGA QUALITY PERFORMANCE New skateboard truck design incorporates 
a compression action system which functions independently of the rider's weight, to deliver 
a smooth and uniform performance. This system also employs a controlled turning axis which 

through the entire range of adjustment for truck action. 
Built-in suspension ride support totally isolates the axle housing from truck base to cushion 
shock, suppress noise and absorb vibrations. 


FP TTSBUAGA HIGH MANEUVERASBILITY Turning system is fully adjustable to provide 
ease of handling and stability for freestyle, slalom, downhill, speed and trick skateboarding. 
Truck axle height allows additional ground clearance and will accomodate large diameter wheels 
without using riser pads. The combination hole mounting pattern is standard and a regular skate- 
board wrench will adjust truck. 


PITTSBURGA EXTRA TOUGHNESSHeavy-duty truck design uniformly distributes and 
supports load which a Truck castings are produced 
from high strength aluminum alloy. All moving parts are prelubricated and made from wear- 
resistant metal. Large diameter 5/16” x 5” axle and race nuts are case hardened and chrome 
plated. 


Trucks are assembled ready for mounting and include outside race nuts, D-washers and selflocking axle nuts. Available pack- 
aged in bulk or prepackaged in pairs on a clear-blister display card. Dealer and OEM inquiries invited. 


METCOM PRODUCTS CO.RD4,Box 275, Blairsville, Pa. 15717 (412) 459-7330 





A 





Originally designed for the steepest, most radical hills of Japan, and tested by the hottest riders abroad. The California 
Wheel “Blue Streak” has proven itself as a leader both foreign and domestic. The flex edge allows for the maximum 
MEAN EER Mitre Reto Re ENA Ia OUR RCL mL with the finest precision 
bearings available, the California Wheel Blue Streak is in a class by itself. 

Mail Order 2” Blue Streak $6.25, 1 Aa Blue Streak $4.25 (bearings included), $3.25 for each Califlex (2"’), $1.75 for each California Reg. 1%2"", to California 
Wheels, 113 Main St., Seal Beach, Califomia. Terms available for wholesale distributors. 


Hot new skateboard T-shirt designs from California T-Shirts printed on quality Hi-Crew shirts in multicolor inks. 





Cre 918 920 oa) 
If you would like one of the above designs, send $5.25 check or money order, design number, color preferences, list 3. Send to California T-Shirts, 
113 Main St., Seal Beach, CA. Include your name and address. 





Ai 


Bruce Logan 





eM ld 


Brad Logan 








oF Va | 








Logan Earth Ski, the wooden skateboards designed from the results of years of 
riding and experimenting by the three Logan brothers and their team members. Our 
boards are designed for maneuverability, for super control and stability, made from 
Prem Ma Lo a ole Cl? | 


INTRODUCING our new models: The all-new Bruce Logan Kicktail, which when 
performing, blends trick proficiency with stylish grace, available in your choice of 
27" or 29". The Torger Johnson Model, a favorite among skateboarders, designed 
by Torger, a 32’ Rounded Nose and Rounded Pin Tail. Also, our hot Slalom board, 
cut out to perfection, giving maximum performance. 


In addition to these models, we also offer a Diamond Tail and a Rounded Pin Tail— 
both of which are available in various lengths. 


Also, featuring the newest design in trucks, the Makaha Pro Truck, which our 
team riders assisted in designing through their experimental test riding’in all 
phases of skateboarding, and on a multiple of ground conditions. The Makaha Pro 
Truck is produced from Aerospace Alloy, with a “diamond” black chrome finish. 
The truck geometry provides the ultimate in road and wheel clearance, with the base 
adjustable fore and aft 12" to enable the skater to tune the wheelbase of his compe- 
tition chassis. Including precision ground cones with exclusive copper wash for a 
quick, smooth break-in. Action rubbers are ‘Makaha Blues” for superior road feel 
and a live cushion action. The first truck of the new generation with the help of the 
best skateboarders in the world. 


Our team is available for exhibitions—other members not pictured: Kathy 
Bomeisler, Robin Logan, Paul Cullen, Eddie Katz, Steve Tanner, Woody Woodward 
and Brian Logan. 


All boards may be ordered in blank form. The complete board is equipped with 
your choice of Makaha ProTrucks, Bennetts, or Trackers. We also offer your choice 
of urethane wheels—Makaha, Road Riders, Rolls Royce, and coming soon, our own 
wheel. For further information, contact your nearest distributor listed below, OR 

DIRECTLY TO: 

Logan Earth Ski 

P.O. Box 279 
Encinitas, CA 92024 


(714) 436-4022 


Logan Earth Ski 
1854 W. 169th St. 
Building ‘‘G”’ 
Gardena, CA 90247 


Art Olson 

San Juan Cyclery 
Py asi Ele e 
Durango, CO 81301 
(303) 259-0584 


Aaa maya 

The Skateboard Shop 
1817 61st St. 
Galveston, TX 77550 
(713) 744-0866 


PEN Ie MeL Ciiela) 

P.O. Box 651 
Pensacola, FL 32593 
(904) 932-9025 














ERP eer Torger Johnson 





ee Seshees 


_ We have a Bane aioe of Skateboards ands ac- 
cessories. If you’re looking for skateboard gear of 
any kind, we’re the people to see. So stop in to see 
| us or buy it direct through the mail. Check the 
items you want, fill out the coupon and enclose 
| your check or money order. Send it to: Steve’s 
South Bay Sporting Goods, 2577 Pacific Coast 
Highway, Torrance, California 90505. 
Add $1.00 for handling and postage. California 
residents include 6% sales tax. Foreign orders 
pavabley with International Money Order nonly: 



































Dear Sir: I've enclosed $ in check or money order for X-caliber truck w/wide wheels, $7.25 
| rnational .00 for air mail X-caliber truck w/stokers, $10.95 | 
the product checked. (All International orders add $9.00 ) peep ice onh (ie Ghisale oer euck, $375 
Send them to: Wheel | 
eels 
name DA. Regular Wheels @$1.75 == = = wheels’ =o 
address OB. Large Wheels @$1.95________ wheels = ___ . 
; OC. Wide Wheels @$2.25 —_____ wheels = 
city D. Stoker Wheels @$3.75. wheels = 
f OE. New Precision Bearing 
state zip Wheels with bearings @$6.50 wheels = 





Skateboards (blank only): 

O X-caliber, 4” pultuded fiberglass, 0 orange 0 yellow 0 24" 27", Siii-95 = — 

O Kick Back, laminated fiberglass, O yellow, black, orange; 0 red, white, blue; 

© orange, black yellow, 26", $15.95 __ ue 

() Nona, compression molded fiberglass, 25”, o$i6. Saude ele, Af : 

© GxX-caliber, polypropylene, 0 green, 5 yellow, G red, © blue, O orange, 0 white, 24”, 
S610 ba ee IBIS! 2 = 
Wayne Brown, laminated fiberglass, 25", $16. C\ Ee ee eee 
] Banzai, aluminum flex, 26", © green, O black, Ci purple, O blue, (1 silver, Ci gold, 26", 

$16395) aot =: 2 
© Nona Spoiler, compression molded fiberglass, Beer GAriBON oe ieee Age 
© Sunrise, laminated fiberglass, 0 24”, 27",$15.95 ———____________ 

















For skateboards complete with trucks and wheels: 
wheels/trucks + board = total 


regular wheels addig13i50) (6 ae en 
large wheels addi$13:90 vr ~ = 
wide wheels Addis 14350) + oe 


stoker wheels add'$21.90) + —__ 
*-caliber truck w/regular wheels, 


X-caljber truck wilarge wheels, 





Steve's South Bay T-shirts, $3.95 
size: 0 small 0 medium O large 0 extra large 
colors: tan O blue © yellow O white O orange 
Specify your color choice on all products. Sees UCR nays) eu be necessaty 


Steve's South 
Bay T-shirts, 
$3.95 








i TSE 


aeenas sea a . Be 
ew | “a OM MOl 
| Fo el mn, 


Gn Wa & ys ai a tL —_ 
ry N a ry » ry wo | iN 
a rr | & | es tS 
, | : 
Py 5 WG Pi ' r 4 












RSI Truck Assembly 


New from Roller Sports. All steel double 
action truck assembly completely chrome 
plated for rust resistance and beauty. Comes 
Cy dA ey a ae Lat ab ee LS 
$4.95 ea., postage paid anywhere. 








Stoker Hill Hugger Wheels. 


From the source of Urethane wheels for the 
skateboard industry comes the newest in a 
high performance wheel. This Stoker sized 
wheel has an under-cut ridge that defies 
slipping yet allows for high speed. The edge 
flexes for grip in turns and the hard center 
allows for highspeed: All Roller Sports wheeis 
are open-cast Dupont Adiprene urethane 
and are available in loose bail or precision 
bearing models. Order direct for only $4.00 
ea., postage paid. Specify loose ball or pre- 
CUM it an) 4 eeu ih 


Rolier Sports, ine. 


1855 Cassat, Jacksonville, Fla. 32210 
(904) 384-3219 
Dealer Inquiries Invited 





,.AND NOW, 
ROAD RIDER NG 6! 


ROAD RIDER WHEELS 


First you saw ROAD RIDER No. 2, the original precision bearing wheel with the unique 
Road Rider wheel design (patent pending), a double angular face for controlled flex and 
greater traction. : 

Then came ROAD RIDER No. 4, the competition wheel, larger, faster and the choice of 
the champions shown on this page. Top winner since September when it won the freestyle, 
slalom and high speed runs at the L.A. Hang Ten Pro Contest. 

And now a totally new dimension, ROAD RIDER No. 6. Specially designed for use with 
the new larger size trucks — Increased diameter - ROAD RIDER design added to inner face 
gives phenominal traction without loss of speed. 


Shown on this page from top to bottom, Henry Hester and Steve Cathey of G&S Fiber Flex, Tony Alva, 
Torger Johnson and Bruce Logan of Makaha/Logan Earth Ski, John Hudson of Santa Cruz Skateboards, 


and Mike Weed of Hobie. 


QUALITY PRODUCTS INC., 140 Uxbridge, Cranston, R! 02920 (401)942-2722 
N.H.S. INC., 825 41st Ave., Santa Cruz, Ca. 95062 (408)475-9434 


GULF COAST SKATEBOARDS, P.O. Box 8757, Corpus Christi, Texas 78408 (512)852-0153 3 











LOOKING INTO CONTESTS 

| have a problem and was 
wondering if you could help me. 
| live in the small town of El Segundo, 
where my dad is a member of the city 
council. After reading your latest issue 
of SKATEBOARDER Magazine, | got 
inspired by the drawings of skate- 
boarding parks. | presented the idea 
of building one in El Segundo to my 
dad. He turned the idea down. His 
complaint was that it’s just a passing 
fad, and it wouldn't be worth the bucks 
to do it. Instead, he suggested that 
| look into having a skateboard contest. 
| thought the idea was great, and 
thought if | could get it together and 
have a contest, it would greatly inspire 
the kids. So here’s my problem. I'm 
only 17, and putting a contest together 
is new to me. | was hoping you could 
help me out. So if you could send 
someone experienced in this field to 
talk to me and maybe work with me, 
or send me detailed information on 
how to go about it, that would be great. 


Joyce Nagel, El Segundo, California 


Contact the Skateboard Racers 
Association, 274 Grandview, Laguna 
Beach, CA 92651, and see 
COMPETITION COVERAGE 
beginning on page 62 in this 

issue...Ed. 


SPONSOR NEEDED 

| thought you should be the first 
to know about this. Sometime during 
Easter vacation, Mike Doucette and | 
are going to smash the record of long- 
distance riding with a neat and clean 
two hundred miles. At the present 
time, we are looking for a sponsor. 
We thought you might want to cover 
our endeavor. A writeup about it when 
we complete it might encourage 
others to keep at it. 


Robert K. Ellis Il, Hollywood, 


California 
continued on page 24 


Pt 


A SURF FILM 





» 


BY CURT MASTALKA 


Ripping and all new! 


HONS RURSTITUC SS MUL eas. Leg 1 


The best of today’s surfers performing with today’s boards 
and waves! See South African Shaun Tomson and the 
Aussies rip! The Pipeline game as it's never been played 
io Colc od 

A dynamic 12 minutes of skateboard ripping! Super Kid Jay 
Adams smokes his wheels and gets high across the walls! 
Reno Abellira exposes the inside info on what it's like to be 
heavy into the pro circuit! 

Astounding death-defying water photography that will leave 
WOTVM Lely stile Mice: MoM Cl mela matt} 
takes you through ten years of summer tubes—Ala Moana 
1966 to Ala Mo 1976! 

The history of gals on the beach and in the water! Lyn Boyer 
(hot new surfer) explains her philosophy of surfing—then 
goes out and rips!!! 


“A fast, even-paced look at the positive facets of the 
Hawaiian experience.’’—Kurt Ledterman, Surfer Magazine. 
“A versatile new film that unravels the riches of our life 
style.” —Surfing Magazine. 

“Hot surf action, inspiring water views, creative sounds. 
| really enjoyed it."—Warren Bolster, Surfer Magazine. 


For rentai of these top films, Red Hot Blue, Sea Dreams, Salt 
Water Wine, and Zephyr, write or phone: Mike Kimsey, 
Cc. W. Mastalka Productions, P.O. Box 30221, Santa 
Barbara, CA 93105, (805) 962-8802 evenings. 


June 11-12 Fri. & Sat. 


June 13 Sun. 


June 14-15 Mon. & Tues. 


BIT Mas 
June 19 Sat. 


ATT oertt eT 


June 21-22 Mon. & Tues. 


June 28-29 Mon. & Tues. 


June 30 Wed. 
BV eee 
BITS e ae 


RIS aa Ota 


July 14-17 Wed.-Sat. 


AT ae 
BY ee re 
BI See l a 
July 27 Tues. 


HermosaBeach Pier Auditorium 
7&9p.m. 

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium 
8:30 p.m. 

Elia -dat- le (OM eI a Lead 
BCA Ka kL eae] st 
Laguna\Beach High School Audi- 
torium 7 & 9 p.m. 

Newport Harbor High School 
Auditorium 7 & 9 p.m. 
Pasadena City College, Harbe- 
son Hall 7&9 p.m. 

Seal Beach, Bay Theatre (213) 
431-6551 7&9 p.m. 
Carpinteria Plaza Theatre 7 & 9 
p.m. 

Ventura Legion Hall, 83 S. Palm 
8:30 p.m. 

Santa Barbara, Lobero Theatre 
8:30 p.m. 

San Diego, Pacific Beach Jr. 
High School Auditorium 7 & 9 


ixuie 
San Diego, Collier Jr. High 
School Auditorium, 4302 Valeta 
St. 8:30 p.m. 
Oceanside/Encinitas La Paloma 
Theatre (714) 753-4397 7:30 & 
9:00 p.m. 

San Francisco Veterans Audi- 
torium 8:30 p.m. 

LFA C LCN IeMMa Coli moe} 
Auditorium 8:30 p.m. 

Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium 
iO sue 

San Jose, Montgomery Theatre 
8:30 p.m. 






FLY RAD PAD 


The hottest most unique item in skateboarding today! 
Rad Pad — the pad Chris Yandell terms as a breakthrough! 
Rad Pad the scientific pad — alters the attack angle of the trucks. 


Rad Pad the individual pad — the pad that allows you to tune your board 
the way you want it. 


Rad Pad — a smoother, faster, more controlled ride than ever before. 
Rad Pad = Hotdogging as you've never hotdogged before. 
Orders yours today and freak out all your friends! 














Dealer inquiries invited. Call 714-488-8200 or write Rad Pad, 
P.O. Box 99812, San Diego, Ca. 92109 


Send me pairs of Rad Pad Rad Pad 
skateboard pads at $4.95 per pair P.O. Box 99812 
to; San Diego, California 92109 


Califomia residents include 6% sales tax. 
Name 
Street address 


City ae Ghats seal 


The Wide=-lIrack Slalom 


is Hlere! 







California “Grabber” 
A Proven Performer 


California “Turbo” 
Newest Performance Breakthrough 


speed, « in EN hota life, rm eat 
Ricion i), fine flexibility, 6. ease stability... and the winning edge! 


Be first to out-maneuver them all! 


We offer a complete line of skateboards and accessories. 


California “Turbo” Wheels 
California “Grabber” Wheels 
California “Smoker” Wheels 
Skateboards: 

1, Sunset-24" molded plastic 
, Waimea=kick tail-24” fiberglass 
._Waimea-double K.T =24" fiberglass 
us Banzai=24” STATUE double kick tail 
Nona=K.T=24" fiberglass 
G, Malibu =K. 7 =24° fiberglass 
7, Rainbow «24" multi-color acrylic 


(Boards available with all wheel combinations.) 


[ode 


7 


Prides available upon request Dealer inquiries invited 


Sure-Craft Enterprises 
9785 — Rush Street «So El Mante, CA 91783 
OMe loists se) 








Banzai 
skateboards 
have been pro- 
fessionally de- 
signed to blend the 
three elements of skate- 
board motion into one 

smooth performance package. 
Maneuverability, soeed, and sta- 

bility. The Banzai is constructed from 
virtually indestructible aircraft aluminum 
alloy anodized in seven beautiful colors. 


i 






; om ily ‘ 
at Ts? Play J 
RADA eH 
WHR RAY } 
AP, i 


2 FUN ” 
rn 


















The hot setup from Banzai 
—extra-wide track trucks 
mounted with our own Speed 
Seal precision bearing red urethane 
wheels... fast, smooth, reliable... 
Available at alllGlobe stores, surf shops and 
sporting goods stores everywhere. 


757 North Coney Ave., Azusa, CA 91702 (213) 334-9393 


A aaa , t ia . Sn -(oL.-/a late Vii aa isso] 
Gabried! qua Hen inl Cd telnet ili Pa RR RAS Jig A dM 24 Mia a A 





. 1) Wi iu 1 
































The draw cords are 350 
lb.-test nylon, spaced for 
convenient securing of any 
shape contents. 


A stainless steel spring is 
the secret inside the heavy- 
duty plastic draw cord 
locks, making them strong 
and durable, ‘ 


A self-lubricating teflon — 
zipper that won't rust, 
‘break, or snag) Learnt) 
pouch. 7 pee y ae 


‘ i 
| The convenient pouch is a My 
self-enclosed storage area, 
perfect for the safe-keeping 
of small items. 


The oxford-woven pack- 
‘cloth is made of six-ounce — 
Parapac® two-ply nylon, 
urethane coated inside for 
waterproofing. 


Shoulder straps are fully 
adjustable to fit anyone 
comfortably. 


Nylon webbing reinforces 
the bottom of the pack to 
carry heavy loads without 
tearing or losing shape. 


a] 


You asked for it...now you've got it!" The Robinak Skatepack was custom designed 
especially for skateboards, with room to spare for shoes, jackets, or books. The 
4x8x11” zippered pouch is a handy place for smaller items or valuables. At last 
you can carry your board comfortably on your back when bicycling or at school. 

The Skatepack is made of the highest quality materials. The six-ounce Parapac” 
two-ply nylon pack cloth is Oxford woven for strength and durability. Inside, urethane 
coating waterproofs the fabric to protect your equipment. The bottom of the Skate- 
pack is reinforced with heavy-duty nylon webbing to carry heavy loads without 
sagging or ripping. 350 Ib.-test nylon draw-cords allow tight securing of unusually- 
shaped items, such as skateboards and tennis racquets. The cords are conveniently 
fastened with unique plastic clamps which utilize a tough stainless steel spring. 
The pores closed pS Tee ie ie teflon zipper, and all hardware is nickel- 
plated to prevent rust. katepackwill be,availablelin red, green, royal blue and navy 
for only $14.95. 

We're so, NEN es pape ET a.) epack that we conpletely guarantee the 
workmanship and materials against defec ia add $1.00 to help cover postage 
and handling, California reside fa 6 ales tax. Dealer inquiries invited. 









Post Office Box 4696, Santa Barbara, eanionite 93103 





United Skateboard Products 





Left to right: Denis Shufeldt, Ty Page, Brad Langager Gary Keating, Brian Logan. 


“We Cover The Teams” 
Spinnin’ Wheels, Huffy, Weber, Bahne, Makaha, G&S, GT Grentec, Logan Earth Ski, Wayne Brown, Hobie, 


Fata) 
Py as aed 






ae Pret ae 


United Skateboard Products 7690 El Camino Real—Suite 201 La Costa, California 92008 (714) 753-0703 
Competition Team long-sleeve nylon jersey $14.95 
Please send me the CompetitionTeam 
s Name 
Size Adult Address 
Junior [] City Be tal ll tL ne 
State__ sah bet Zip 






Amount enclosed is $_____>~—— California residents add 6% sales tax. Add $1.00 for shipping & handling: 





OBIE SKATEBOARDS 





Tested by Hobie team captain Mike Weed, featured in SKATEBOARDER Magazine. 

The new line of Hobie Skateboards offers top “Solo Suspension System,” while the Com- 
quality equipment for the fastest growing sport in petition and Hustler utilize the finestconven- 
the world. Check out our new 1976 models today! _ tional trucks available. 
¢ Fiberglass skateboard chassis in standard On display at Hobie Surfboards (34195 

or kicktail styles. Pacific Coast Highway, Dana Point), and avail- 
¢ Allwheels have double-sealed, precision able at finer surf, skate, bike, sporting goods, 

bearings for fast, quiet, trouble-free riding. and department stores everywhere. 
e The Sundancer features the amazing new Dealer inquiries welcome: write or call 
Hobie Skateboards PO. Box 812, Dana Point, CA 92629 (714) 646-2404 
In competition with automobiles, skateboards finish dead last. Be careful. Skate safe. 


4 


UGGERI 


The Guaranteed S! 








27"' Hand Laminated 
Fiberglass Kicktail 







/ 24" & 27” Ed Nadlin & Skitch Hitchcock 
/ Championship Fiberglass Boards 


Look for the Hugger guarantee. 


24” Super Flex Poly Board 





24” Full Color Photo Prints 

















All boards Feature 
ACS Certified 356-T-6 
Aluminum Alloy Trucks 






The Guaranteed Skateboards by 


Hugger ° 
Hot Pour Wheels 
X-tra Wide Reds on all models 


® 


A complete line of Hugger Skateboard 


accessories is also available. 
Featuring the Finest Equipment Available 


For the Finest Ride 


(_] Unidirectional extruded fiberglass chassis 
[_] Duo Ply textured non-skid foot control decks 
[_] 24” Long for hotdogging and freestyle 

(J 27’ Long for downhill racers 

{_] Competition team tested 

{_] Super Flex deck for ultimate power control 


Hugger products are available at all 
leading stores including the following: 
Abraham & Straus, Almart/J. B. Hunter, 
L. S. Ayers, Cal-Dor, Foley's, Gimbels, 
Jordon Marsh & Co. (Miami & Boston), 
Macy’s, Rike’s, Shillito’s, Stix, Baer and 


Fuller, Jonn Wanamaker Co., Wieboldt 
Stores. 


TREND MERCHANDISING, INC. 
Alhambra, CA 91802 

Manufacturers of Hugger professional 

skateboards and accessory equipment. 


FIBERGLASS RIDING DECKS AND TRUCKS 
GUARANTEED (FOR ONE YEAR) 


STOP THF — RIP-OFFS! 


































e Loaned your skateboard and haven't FULLY ASSEMBLED — READY 


seen it lately? TO RIDE: 
e Parked your skateboard ina ‘‘tow is e 24" Unidirectional extruded fiberglass 
away”’ zone lately? chassis 


e Had your school locker popped lately? 
Skateboard missing? 
e Has big brother borrowed your 
skateboard lately? 


Dual-Ply textured Non-Skid deck. 
X-tra wide 2’’ Hot Poured Urethane 
red wheels. 

Fiberglass decks and trucks 
guaranteed one year. 


Super-flex deck for performance 
control 


YOUR NAME 
STOPS THE RIP-OFF! e ACS Certified 359 
OeB0eOoOoOOoOoe: Aircraft Aluminum Die- 


Cast trucks and 
mounting hardware. 
New Soft Shock 
Absorbers for 
smoothest ride. 


Super Hard epoxy finish permanently 

seals your name to this bright full-color 
picture skateboard! ; 
Buy this top quality skateboard today h 
and keep it tomorrow! ‘ 





DIRECT BUY COUPON 
PICTURE SKATEBOARDS, INC. / P.O. Box 2828 / Hollywood, CA. 90028 
Rush ____—s (Quantity) ~Personalized Picture skateboards for 
$29.95 each—price includes postage and handling. Enclosed find 
O Check © Money Order for $ _ . (Sorry no C.O.D’s.) 
Please add state tax for California residents. 





NAME DESIRED ON SKATEBOARD (PLEASE PRINT) (LIMIT 15 LETTERS) 


NAME ADDRESS 








iC iene | 


Up until now, you had > 


to pay alot more than $19.95 > ee nd 
for a board as good as we 
The Newporter Kicktail. We're out ; 


to change all that. Each Newporter 

component has been designed 

and fabricated to give you the utmost in 

durability and performance. The super X 
tough polypropylene board features a |) | 
unique cut-away rib design for flexibility and ~ strength plus 
a textured top surface and modified kicktail for exceptional control. 

; Phe trucks are revolutionary with a self-leveling yoke that gives you 
tracking ability you have to experience to believe. And Newporter’s 
stoker and slick wheels, with self-contained bearings, are molded 
from super strong urethane for superior traction and long wear. The 
Newporter Kicktail. If you can find a better board for the money, 
you'd better buy it! 

All Newporter Kicktail components are available 
separately, including multi-purpose wrench. For 
a complete accessory list, send a self-addressed 
stamped envelope to Newporter Industries. 


The Newporter Kicktail is new and may not be available in your 
3 favorite store, so ask for it by name. 


anaes 


a ca | 1801 Orangethorpe Park me er 
Dealer inquiries invited. Anaheim, CA 92801 ust e” 


“Manufacturer's suggested retail price. Stoker and slick combination slightly more. 


HAVE YOU JOINED? 


Memberships: 

Pro or Amateur Racer $4.00. 

Amateur Non-Racer $3.50. 

SRA Patch ° Decal * Newsletters * Pro-Am Cards 


For further information send 25¢ eer a etig 
to: $.R.A. 

RO. Box 578 

Dana Point, Calif. 92629 


AN 











*ecing Associatio™ 





24 











TOO STRICT 

| was a regular at the Escondido 
Reservoir, but since its demise, | 
haven't had a spot to skate! Alas, | 
found a place, the “Chestnut-Wallos 
Underpass.” | was a local there for 
about two or three weeks until | was 
“clasped in irons” by the local chodders 
(police). It was Saturday, the 6th of 
March. | was sittin’ on the bank when 
a chodder pulled up. He motioned 
for my cuz to come to him. He did; 
| followed. | asked the cop why we 
couldn't skate there. He said, “SHUT 
UP!” | got bummed out after he said 
shut up about three more times. He 
asked me my name; | refused to give 
it to him because | did nothing out 
of the law. So | tried to leave. He 
grabbed me: pain! Then he clasped 
me in irons. Man the law is gettin’ too 
Strict: that was the first warning | got 
from the chodders. Well, when the 
Skate Park is finished, no more scraps 
with the law. 


Mike Sainz, Carlsbad, California 





| just wrote to tell ya that there are, 
believe it or not, a couple of pretty hot 
skateboarders out here. We may not 
compare with most of you, but we give 
it our best. Unlike the hot riders of the 
West Coast, most of us just got into 
skateboarding last summer, or around 
the months of October and November. 
We also have to put up with tempera- 
tures in the 6° to 20° mark, and snow. 
Man, when urethane gets cold, it 
really slides! 


Scott Carney, Carmel, Indiana 


TOW: NO 

| fully agree with skate central's 
opinion in Off The Wall (Vol. 2, No. 3) 
concerning being towed by cars while 
skating. Too many people | know have 
been eating it since it got to be the 
hot thing to do. Everything from road 
rash to broken arms and legs (and 
even heads), and I've even lost a hot 
continued on page 28 









Bred aa. ae 
BENNETT BUILDS THE 
WORLD'S FINEST TRUCKS 


Ask the pros and top amateurs who've ridden the BENNETT HIJACKER 


TRUKS ™ to more National and World Championships than all other 
trucks COMBINED! 


NOW — THE TOTAL RUNNING GEAR SYSTEM 





The NEW 

D+TRAK™ BENNETT PRO 
with quik—change 

# adjustable track width 













The original 
The NEW Trac Il BENNETT HIJACKER 
BENNETT PRO™ “Truk of Champions” 


The two new wide Trak™ Pro™ series Truks™ confirm Bennett as the leading 
all—out running gear specialist. Designed and engineered to utilize the superior 
qualities of the Alligator™ wheel system, the Pro™ series taps the experience of 
the competition proven, tough, precision built, components that made Bennett 
the world’s champion truck. 

The smooth response of the specially compounded red rubbers, the security 
of the alloy steel axle, the rugged quality of the total design concep, all lead 
to one simple fact: sooner or later you'll be on the best... you'll forget the 
biggest, widest, and wildest; you'll forget the dumb springs and pretty 
retouched photos and you'll forget the big name phonys and fast buck 
“California this and that” artists. 

You will remember that Bennett builds the best! He puts his name on the line 
and stands behind it! 


ORDER NOW FOR IMMEDIATE DELIVERY. . . 


©The original BENNETT HIJACKER TRUKS, perset. . .13.00 © Set of four, Alligator ™ Turbine™ Precision Wheels 


©The new TRAC li BENNETT PRO TRUKS, perset . . .18.00 complete with bearings, spacers & special washers. . . .30.00 
©The new AD+TRAK BENNETT PRO TRUKS, perset . .21.00 NOTE: Turbine series will not fit roller skate size trucks. If you do 
® The now famous Big Red Rubbers, two sets of four . . . 4.00 not have high performance trucks, please order Bennett Hijackers, 
© Prices, specifications, boards & accessories Pros, or Pro-Ad+Traks from this ad. 
(refunded Istorder) . . 2. . . 2... see . 2.00 ®©Set of four, Alligator Loose Ball series (fit all trucks). . .16.00 
Before you buy any board, you should have this valuable © Alligator Wheels T-Shirt (top-quality w/pocket, inc. postage) 5.50 
listing of the best equipment available. Includes detailed Add $1.50 postage and handling per order (except T-Shirts, 
information on the best boards, wheels, bearings & accessories, Red Rubbers and price list) Hawaii, Foreign & Airmail add $3.50. 
plus set-up, assembly, and maintenance tips. Air mailed to you Calif. residents add 6% sales tax. Cashiers check or money order 
same day order received. only to: Mr. Bennett, P.O. Box 1415-A, Newport Beach, 


Calif. 92663 


BcK MEANS 
NO BALONEY 








Others can say it again and again, but the proof is in the riding. B & K is the finest wheel made 
— no baloney. B & K “SUPER WIDE” are the widest, three full inches, for maximum traction. 
Because the races are two inches apart, there is no high-speed vibration. A 7-inch 100,000 
psi stress proof axle is included in every kit. B & K “TRACTION MASTER?” two-inch wheels fit 
standard axle trucks. All B & K wheels are precision cast with a tensile strength of 9000 psi for 
out-performing and out-wearing all others. Both wheels available for precision or loose bear- 
ings. Get the finest — B & K, wherever quality skateboard products are sold. 


Bb 
ENTERPRISES 


P.O. Box 4783 
Anaheim, CA. 92803 
(714) 635-7450 





CONTROL PRODUCTS P.O. Box 5685 e Santa Monica, CA. 90405 e (213) 822-3355 


DEALER INQUIRES INVITED 


offers through its dealers 
the dependability of roller 
rink equipment with 
more than twenty 

vears of successful 
service as well 

as the best of 

the new ideas 

from the 

skateboard 

industry. 


COED 


presented the Ist , 


annual Laguna Gran 

Prix Skateboard Contest 
where 100 of the finest 
skateboarders in the world 
participated. 


FX 


the exclusive 
distributor for the 
fabulous Sure Grip 
Skateboard Truck now 
brings you the new Oak 
Street Truck for 

those of you who 

want a wider taller 
stance on your 


skateboard. 
FQ 


sells more of the following 


products than any skateboard 


dealer in the world: 
Sure Grip Trucks, Metaflex 


Wyree's: Power Paw Wheels, 
Road Rider Wheels, 


Roller Sports Wheels, 
Sure Grip Skateboards, 


Compass Skateboards, 
E.T. Skateboards, 
Lightning Bolt 


\\ Skateboards and 
Oak Street Surfboards. 


32 chose Sure 
Grip Trucks 
(more than any 
other truck) 

25 chose Road 
Rider Wheels 
14 chose Power 
Paw Wheels 

12 chose Metaflex 
Wheels 

12 chose Roller 
Sports Wheels 


—— 


selects the finest skateboard equipment 
in the world, tests it, then offers it 
through your local skateboard dealer to 
you, the skateboarder. Then we listen to 
what you like! You will never catch Oak 
St. telling you what is best. But you can 


be sure if Oak St. continues to offer a 
product, it is the best. Tell your local 
skateboard dealer to contact Oak St. for 

the products you want. 
Oak St. is also the finest custom 
surfboards by Mike Armstrong. 


OAK STREET, INC. 
1096 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, California 92651, 714 494-7538 





GREG LOEHR 


> ’ Va 


ADA 


LAURA ELLIOT 


BRUCE WALKER 

Central Florida Championships— 
Skateboard City, 1st Freestyle 
(Men's), 2nd Slalom (Men's): Palm 
Beach Speedway—Fox Champion- 
ships, 2nd Downhill (Men's) - 
Brevard County—Labor Day Con- 
test, 3rd Freestyle (Overall) 


JOE LEVITZ 

Palm/Beach Speedway—Fox Cham- 
pionships, 1st Freestyle (Men's), 1st 
Downhill (Men's) 


Palm Beach Speedway—Fox Cham- 
pionships, 1st Downhill (Boys’), 2nd 
Freestyle (Boys’) 


JIM McCALL 

Melbourne Summer Contest, 1st 
Freestyle (Overall) Eau Gallie Con- 
test, 1st Freestyle (Boys’), 1st Sla- 
lom (Boys’), 1st Overall « Central 
Florida Championships—Skate- 
board City, 2nd Freestyle (Boys’) 


Brevard County—Labor Day Con- 
test, 1st Slalom (ages 11-12)- Palm 
Beach Speedway—Fox Champion- 
ships, 2nd Freestyle (Girls’), 2nd 
Slalom (Girls'), 3rd Downhill (Girls’) 


JOHN PARTON 

Palm Beach Speedway—Fox Cham- 
pionships, 1st Downhill (Sr. Men's), 
2nd Freestyle (Sr. Men's), 2nd Sla- 
lom (Sr. Men's) ° 


Skateboard Service Centers 


Fox Surfboards 


Fox Surf Shop 
6821 Norton Ave. 


Box 626—31/7-C Ocean 
Ave. (A1/A) 
Melbourne Beach, 
Fla. 32951 

(305) 723-9572 


EMERY 
(305) 585-5023 


West Palm Beach, 


Fox Surf Shop Fox Surfboards 

10 Ocean Drive c/o General Delivery 
Miami Beach, Cape Hatteras 

Fla, 33139 Buxton, N. Carolina 27920 
(305) 673-6899 


Photos| of Melbourne Beach, W. Palm Beach, and'Skateboard Citv bv Lewis Graves. Darrell Jones & Bruce Walker 





Surfer Watch 

























Watch and Sports Strap $19.95 
Watch with rubber strap $18.95 
Strap only (black or white) $2.50 





Swiss made, water resistant to 150 feet, auto date 
calendar, stainless steel back, shock resistant, large 
sweep second hand, movable time bezel, unbreak- 
able mainspring, luminous dial and hands. 

Now available with Waterline's exclusive 
“Sports Strap.’’ This Velcro Sports Strap adjusts 
to the size of wrist, is designed to go over or 
under wetsuits, and will stay closed under the 
most extreme conditions. The press-to-close, 
peel-apart-to-open feature will last thru 20,000 
openings and closings. 100% nylon, and worn 
by our astronauts on the moon. 

All prices include postage and handling (add 
$1.00 for air mail; foreign orders $2.00). Calif. 
residents must add 6% sales tax. Send cash, 
check or money order, your choice of products 
and your name, address and zip code to: 


Waterline Products 
P.O. Box 202, Dana Point, CA 92629 








friend of mine, Landon Hines, to the 
tow job...He was hotter than hell, and 
now he's not around to enjoy skating. 
Think about this type of thing as you 
roll away at 35 m.p.h., hanging on to 
that door handle. 


Curls, Jacksonville, North Carolina 


SEND PICTURES 

Just wanted to fill you in on some 
Houston info. Most people write in and 
say that nobody rides skateboards in 
Houston. Well, they must come from a 
dull part of town. Where | live everybody 
has “at least” one skateboard, and 
most people have about five. When 
urethane wheels hit town, most people 
liked wheels like Stokers and Road 
Riders. For boards, most people like 
Bahne, Fibreflex, or Logan Earth Ski. 
There are some hot places around 
here; one place is the Meat Grinder, 
with vertical walls about 16-feet high, 
at about 80-degree angle...Maybe | 
can send you some pictures for your 
next ish. 


Jeff Floyd, Houston, Texas 


CRUISERS 

I'd like to say “Hi” to Dayz, Hayz, 
and Mayz, Spot, Bill, Sem, Koch, and 
anyone else who is a Potomac local. 
We skaters are a group of fun-loving 
cats who think that SKATEBOARDER 
should do an article on Potomac. We 
know unreal hills, walls, games, and 
to us, skatin’ is one big trip. With no 
police hassles, cruisin’ is our thing. 
| personally would love to show it 
to you guys. 


Tom Lutz, Potomac, Maryland 


HELMETS: YES 

Hi out there all you kooks, 
Yesterday a friend broke his ribs 
What's he gonna do today? 

In the hospital he may lay 

And in the closet his board could stay. 
He jumped five barrels, what a goof 
No helmet was the key as he fell. 
It’s all in the head you see 

So take a tee, 

Be safe and sound 

Helmets my advice 

It's cool there all around... 


Gilbert Boyle, Azusa, California —® 





The Capital Distributing Company 
announces a promotional display plan for 
SKATEBOARDER Magazine, available to 
all retail newsstand dealers. For details 
and copies of the agreement, write to 
Circulation Manager, Capital Distributing 
Company, Charlton Building, Derby, CT 
06418 











f A SRS RTT aa - 
is ec mK % oe) ‘ are I 





— Bruce Logan, 
World Pro-Am Freestyle Champion 







Take the lead from Bruce Logan and add speed to your board, 
without adding the damaging grit that other lubricants attract. 
Super Skate Spray is scientifically formulated for skateboard 
truck-bearings using a new lubrication technology, so it’s safe, 
non-staining, neat and effective. Plus you add life to bearings 
and rubber parts, too. 

Need more convincing? 

Ask your dealer for a can and try it. We think you'll agree 
with Bruce. 


Super Shale Spray 


Lubri-Kote Company, Inc., P.O. Box 36225 
Houston, Texas 77036, Phone (713) 771-7227 





Super Skate Spray 
distributed by: 


Oak Street Surf Shop 

1088 S. Coast Highway 
Laguna Beach, Calif. 92651 
(714) 494-7538 


Authorized Distributors: 


Control Products 

Box 5685 

Santa Monica, Calif. 90405 
(213) 822-3335 


Roadrunner Skateboard Co. New Orleans Lightweight Cycles Kona Skateboards East Coast Skateboard Distributors 
1418 Spencer Highway South 1340S. Carrollton Ave. 420 W. Cedar Ave. 3442 Primrose Lane 

Houston, Texas 77587 New Orleans, LA 70118 Wildwood, NJ08260 Decatur, GA 

(713) 943-1201 (504) 861-8516 (609) 522-7899 














a ES LD ara OT ee mare My YT) Se 


SKATEBOARDER 


TIPS 


CUT THE JIVE 
AND “JOG” 


by Chris Yandall 


Skateboarding, as we all know, is a 
dangerous sport when viewed from 
the physical realm. Despite the myriads 
of “raw hamburger” acquired from 
ill-fated incidents, the perfectionists 
have discovered many modes of inner 
peace emanating from the sum total 
of their endeavors. Beyond the typical 
accident lies the vast potential of 
improper muscle development. Besides 
unbalanced muscle development, 
many painful knee conditions may be 
attributed, in my opinion, to the single 
leg push method. Many have realized 
the necessity of using both legs 
harmoniously to propel themselves 
when appropriate. In a gallant effort 
to avoid these unforeseen knee 
problems and improper muscle 
development, one may incorporate 
the “jog” technique by stimulating the 
abilities lying dormant in the opposite 
leg. Through careful practice, you will 
be able to tap a storehouse of unused 
energy, and physically balance the 
growth of developing skate muscles. 
To experience the “jog” is to experience 
a fluid discovery of propelling motion 
generated from small amounts of 
exerted energy, which in time will 
surprisingly develop your switch stance. 


TECHNIQUE : The process of 
“jogging” is relatively sirnple, as the 
photos may depict. Because of the 
balance required by this maneuver, 
you will experience varying degrees 
of difficulty. However, through careful 
practice, this technique will reward 
you by strengthening your switch 
stance, and ease the overuse of 
certain joints, muscles, and tendons 
in your legs. 





| have used in the diagram, the 
popular foot placement of a normal 
skate push. A rests on the nose of the 
board while B propels. For starters, 
one may take three pushes with B, 
then place in B2 position and imme- 
diately move A into propelling position 
A2. A2 may take three pushes and 
then return to the A position, while B2 
becomes propelling B, once again. 
Very simple in the diagram, but super 





difficult to perform at first. Remember — 
SAFETY FIRST. With this in mind, you 
will have the right attitude to be 
receptive to this technique. At the 
point of mastering this technique, you 
will be able, or should be able, to 
propel once with each propelling foot 
so that it appears that you can run on 
a newly developed medium which 
requires less exerted energy, while 
demanding high-quality skill.“® 





The Facts 


The new AGS precision die-cast 
trucks make conventional trucks 
obsolete. By combining advanced 
design concepts with 356 aircraft 
aluminum-magnesium alloy 
heat treated to T-6, ACS produces 
the rugged, gleaming beauties 
shown below. You wouldn't want 
anything less beneath your feet. 
Dealer and manufacturer inquiries 
invited. 


ACS 430 4.30” axle length, 1.8” 
pivot width. Standard height with 
conventional 4-hole mounting pattern. 










ACS 500 5.00” axle lengtn, 2%" 
pivot width, plus %’’ increased 
height. High-strength alloy steel 
axle, with aircraft locknuts. Conven- 
tional 4-hole mounting pattern. Pre- 
cision jewel-like finish. 







ACS 650 Super-wide 6.50" high- 
strength alloy steel axle, with air- 
craft locknuts. 4” pivot width. Super- 
duty hanger plate is extra %”’ thick, 
and eliminates need for spacer block. 
Bright finish pivot with racing black 
hanger plate. 


American Cycle Systems 1449 Industrial Park St. Covina, CA 91722 (213) 331-0582 





Super Performance 
and Durability! 


if it’s for Skateboards, 
We make it! 


UPM introduces its complete line of quality skateboards 
all with contained bearings. 


e Top ofthe line Duraflex Freestyle skateboard features 
double kicktail and Big 2” x 2%” Grabber wheels. 
27” long, it’s injection molded from fiberblass nylon. 


e Duraflex skateboards available in 27” and 24” sizes. 
Injection moldedifrom fiberglass nylon, comes in 
variety of colors and ‘Sun & Surf” or ‘Floral’ silk 
screened patterns. 


e TheCal-240, one of the most popular skateboards on 
the market, is injection molded from Polypropylene. 
24” long, comes in variety of colors. 


® The X-19, our latest addition, is 19" long. Injection 
molded from Polypropylene, comes in variety of 
colors. 





Our complete line of individually packaged skateboard 
accessories include: 


Universal Grabber Wheels — comes in 3 super sizes, 
all with contained bearings. 


Grabber Pads — for extra space between Big Grabber 
wheels and the board. 

Universal Truck.— complete with hanger, base, cones, 
“D” washer and lock nuts. 

Universal Truck Replacement Kit — 2 ‘'D”’ washers, 

2 lock nuts, 2 star washers and 4 cone nuts. 

Universal Axle — 5/16” coarse thread made of heat 
treated steel. 

Universal Bearings — 3/16” steel, come 64 per card. 
Universal 4-Way Tool — heat treated steel, includes 
serew driver, open end wrench, race socket and outer 
lock nut. 


D4 UPM INC. 15507 East Arrow Highway, Irwindale, California 91706 (213) 962-4001 














, 


ee —F are the finest trucks available Period. Trackers are incredibly strong and they will compliment 
any skateboard used. The width of the Tracker is engineered for optimum use of today’s super wheels. The 
Tracker low-mount trucks enable the modern skateboarder to tune his vehicle to whatever he needs, whether 
they are mounted on a cushion or rigid spacer, or a wedge which changes the geometry for quick steering, or 
just plain low for a low center of gravity. In short the Tracker Truck offers the finest ride available Period. 
Featured with Tracker Trucks are the precision bearing O.J. wheels, a high traction and super quality wheel. 








—Z per pair $20.00 (add $1.00 for shipping). T-shirt $4.50 (specify size) sticker .25 cents —- free 
brochure: Send cashiers check or money order ONLY: Tracker Trucks P.O. Box 217, Cardiff-by-the Sea, 
California 92007 








eke Aiahen 


=i WV Et 


The Phantom 


The newest from Dick Brewer Skateboards makes all other pultruded ¥ 
boards obsolete. Designed for radical terrains the Phantom makes 
effortless radical turns without loss of control. Perfect for walls, pools, 
hills, etc. Where quick “on edge” maneuverability is required. All Phantoms 
are equioped with Brewer trucks, XK4OO wheels, and taped deck. 
Available in 29" and 32” lengths. 


Dick Brewer Skateboards In Hawaii. Dick Brewer Surfboards 
> PO, Box 3369 1732 Kapiolani Blvd 

San Clemente, CA 92672 Honolulu, Hl 96814 

(714) 492-6402 (808) 941-4080 


Dealer Inquiries Welcome — Write for a free brochure 





Snow ski camber for super weight distribution front and back PERFORMER CAMBER FLEX 


gives you superior traction. Snap-back memory for weighting 
and unweighting through rhythmic slalom turns. 
Width and stability for high-speed down- 
hill runs. A kicktail for radical hotdog- 
ging. Available in lengths of 24”, 

27" and 29" (single or double 

kick). Patent pending. All Per- 

io} dan\=) eH a= N= ae -aMS) OLeL @aEL=aLe 

pads, aircraft hardware, non- 

skid decks, Performer sealed 

bearing wide wheels. Optional: 

Performer wide-track truck and | 
Performer sealed bearing 

stoker wheel. All Weber Per- 

former products are guaran- { 
teed. See them at your local 

dealer. If none in your area, 

write or phone your order 

directly to us for immediate 

delivery. O.E.M., distributors and 


deal | t 
calers Welcome. 94" g 27" Combi Flex (single or double kick) 






- Protective ainces for 
skateboarders in 
tough cowhide with fingertip reinforce- 


ment and generous padding on the palm. . 


Velcro fastening for snug fit. Ventilation 
on back. Natural, with black trim and 
choice of colored fasteners. Best quality 
available. 

Other high grade accessories also available. 


Inquiries invited from Sales Agents, Dealers, Dis- 
tributors and O.E.M.’s. 


K I P 8541 Barry Place 


Introducing 
the orange wheels 


with juice.. 


Ojs 


MANUF DISTRIBUTOR 
it (eh sis) 0 Rr a Waa 
OTe, OPM ]e)2) 
APTOS, CA 95003 
SSI tC an CW 


RCs ace aoe 
KEITH HAGEN 
CARDIFF, CA, 92007 
(714) 225.9272 


Westminster, CA 92683 ¢ (714) 842-7313 


CSE a i a NE eo oe ee 





EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE 


The Performer sealed precision bearing wheel is different from 

all others. It’s tapered with just the right amount of flex on 

the outer edge, with increased rigidity to the inner edge. 

The flexible outer edge gives you superior traction on 

slalom runs. The stiff inner edge holds up. This rigidity 

gives you speed in downhill and flatland skating, and 

at holds up in 360’s. No squish in turns and no egg- 

\ shape compression of the wheel losing speed on the 

y straight-away. 100% pure cast urethane in trans- 
lucent colors. 


INTERCHANGEABLE BASE— 
ADJUSTABLE AXLE 


. Adjust narrow or wide track where you like it. 


>< 


Performer trucks fit all skateboards. Bolt pattern of base is interchangeable. 
The axle is adjustable. Slide the spacer sleeve and change the track width. 
Narrow setting—4’ width. Wide setting—5’”’ width. Super-strong design for 
Fil N MeL Nelo re Ue-Uan (c\=e 


All Weber Performer products are guaran- 
~ teed. See them at your local Weber dealer. ) 
If no dealer in your area, write or phone your | [ 
order directly to us for immediate delivery. 


Two patents pending. one FORE] 











FNM NA VE BE A I Ae BOARCS § 0 P ; ic 





C-B Wall Boards have tops made of the highest 
strength aircraft aluminum available. All boards 
have permanent memory, and are unconditionally 
guaranteed against warpage, breakage, and 
manufacturing defects. 

Look at the standard features: 

Wide-track (8%"") California Slalom trucks. 

%"' rubber shock pads. 

3" 3M taped decks. 

Your choice of California Smoker or Turbo wheels 
with precision bearings. 

Available in 6 anodized colors. << 
Double or single kick. a 
24" or 27” lengths. LA 






» Turbo Wheels 
2% x 2% 


To order by mail, send $44.95 for one of the above 
boards. $39.95 for board with ball bearings, $16.95 
for top only. California residents add 6% sales tax, 
and $1.00 for shipping/handling. Include your 
choice of color, length, kick and wheels. 

C-B Fabricating Industries, PO. Box 145, Burbank, 
CA 91503, (213) 764-1334. Dealer Inquiries Invited. 















Bolt & Beltbuckle 














iG 


RYOCMLR TINCT 














OT ans ae | 




















| Boachcomber Bill 





























sity rubber skateboard w/raisec 


24" x 6h O'Neill Wet: 























5 velsuit 
gravity w/wid e heal molded fiber welsuile 
lue A yellow Decals Y Surfing 20¢ 
H rel 3) 
ig, rete 
orange 
(2 color choices) USA ASIA/AFRICA EUROP 
jaws design te skate 50 00 0 
sounting plate (two are neede 20 00 00 
iu ts or othe ues 5 00 00 
} Wide Tracker $10.95 0 00 
Dear Kanoa Surf, enclosedis$. plus mai! and handling 
$ total $. 
Name 
Address 
City State fip 





Dealer Inquires Invited 


LADIES’ TANK TOP: Fine quality interlock 
50% poly and 50% cotton. Spaghetti strap 
available in 3 soft summer colors. 


AIRPOCKETS: Hi-Crew shirts. Personalized 
on front with shop name over air brushed 
design. Full color print on back. All six de- 
signs below are available. 


LADIES’ CAP SLEEVES: Also fine quality in- 
terlock. This top is available for immediate 
delivery, and comes in 5 great summer colors. 


Sts 
AB d < @ ihe a 0] 





General Offices: 
5618 Lafayette Pl. Gene Bagley 
Hyattsville, Md. 20781 8116 Easton 
801-277-3358 Houston, Texas 
713-868-4759 
East Coast: 


Dave Skelton Australia: 
c/o Joe Buck Surf Shop Dave O'Donnell 
260 Gulf Breeze Parkway #15 Wyadra Ave. 
Gulf Breeze, Fla. 32561 Sydney, Australia 2096 
904-932-9025 











a es ee i eed 


react ae 


TTA 








For over eight years, Control Products has been serving retailers. 
Our continued success depends largely on our concept of wholesale 
supply based on providing top quality materials and service. What 
it means to you is convenience. A retailer only has to make one 
phone call to order everything he needs to complete his inventory 
of surfing and skateboarding equipment. Everything. That means just 
one invoice and one freight bill to pay, too. 

We can make this claim because Control Products offers a total 
variety of skateboards and surfing accessories. The only things you 
won't find at Control Products are high prices and poor quality. That's 
a promise. We have carefully selected the manufacturers we repre- 
sent for providing the best quality designs, products, and service; so 
we're confident to stand behind them. 

We stock a complete line of skateboard trucks, wheels, and chassis; 


Elephant Brand tools; sealed and loose bearings; axle extenders, 
and replacement parts; as well as specialty items like the exciting 


» new windskate. We also carry a large variety of surfing supplies, such 


as waxes, resins and pigments, surfleashes and leash attachments, 
and surfboard fins. At Control Products, you'll find only the top-of- 
the-line names like Bahne, Cadillac, Power Paw, Tracker, B and kK, 
Chicago, Control Wax, Fins Unlimited, Surfleash, Powercord, and 
Wonderbolt. 

But we know that even such a huge selection wouldn't mean 
anything if it wasn't backed by dependable service. That's why we 
make every effort to take good care of our customers. We're proud 
of our reliability. 

Let Control Products serve you. It only takes one phone call today 
to have your order shipped tomorrow. That's convenience. 

Dealers only write or call for catalog. 


GONTROUPRODUGTS Sariing Equipment 
Box 5685, Santa Monica, CA U.S.A. 90405, (213) 822-3335. 





Adventure Designs features full color designs by 


Evans, Griffin, Dennison & Sharp. Carefully screened check or money order, along with the following: 


on quality hi-crew neck ¢-shirts and available in the P.O. Box 2189 name, address, zip code, design number, size (s, m, 
following colors: sand, yellow, It. blue, gold, natural, Long Beach, Calif. 9080! |, xl) and three shirt preferences. (Color substitutes 
coconut and orange. $5.75 each. Includes domestic — Surf shop promotions California surfing products. may still be necessary). 


postage and handling. For airmail add $1.00 per Dealers inquiries welcomed. Custom printed. Shirt prices upon request. 





“Here he comes racing down the 
hill-it's a beautiful ride. What a 
screamer!” But, “Oh no! | guess he 
didn't see that pebble!” “His skateboard 
sure did. What a fall!” “Well, | guess 
he’s all right, but he’s holding his wrist.’ 

This verbal skit has probably been 
heard on many a skateboard course. 
Wrist fractures due to skateboard 
accidents are becoming a common 
occurence. 


Serious Break—Wrist fractures can 
be one of the most serious bone breaks 
in the body. They are responsible for 
more disabling and arthritic conditions 
than any other fracture. It isn’t that the 
fracture itself is so serious; but that 
it's after effects, if ignored or not treated 
properly, can cause crippling arthritis 
and tendon damage in later years. 
There are many fractures that go 
untreated or misdiagnosed, according 
to Dr. Markowitz, an orthopedic 
surgeon at San Diego State University’s 
Student Health Center. Dr. Markowitz 
has treated numerous fractures from 
skateboard accidents, and feels that 
one reason so many such breaks go 
untreated is because they are difficult 
to diagnose. Even with X-rays, it is 
extremely difficult to find the exact 
location of a wrist break, due to the 
complex arrangement of the bones 
in the wrist. 


Wrist Bones—The wrist bones are 
called Carpals. They are eight in 
number, and are made of fairly soft 
cancellous bone. In later adult years, 
this soft bone turns to more solid 
compact bone. 

The inside structure of these bones 
are like a honeycomb. There are many 
spaces in the bone through which 
blood flows, bringing oxygen and 
nutrients. 

Imagine taking a honeycomb and 
cutting it with a knife. Now take the 
two pieces and fit them back together. 
Again, can you see the place where 
the honeycomb was cut? If you can, 
it will be difficult. This is what the doctor 
sees when he looks at an X-ray of your 
wrist. Unless there is considerable 





The typical wrist fracture: easy to get, difficult to see, hard to heal. Metal wrist braces and elbow pads 


are the answer for safe, truly free skateboarding. 


separation between the two pieces 
of broken bone, diagnosis is difficult. 


Is It Broken?—lf a doctor misses 
a wrist fracture because he can’t see 
it, he may then treat the wrist as a 
severe sprain. Most doctors feel that 
this is a mistake. 

Sometimes it may be two weeks 
before a break can be seen in an 
X-ray. When you finally can see the 
break, it may mean trouble because 
the bone fragment has begun to die. 
All outside nerves and blood vessels 
have been separated from the piece 
that has broken off. 

After six to twelve weeks, if not 
treated, the bone fragment turns hard 
and starts to lose calcium. As the bone 
dies, it loses its ability to move freely 
in the wrist, and it starts to rub against, 
and roughen, the other carpal bones, 
setting up a possible arthritic condition 
that later causes disability of the 
wrist joint. 

“Set It Or Forget It”— Dr. Markowitz 
feels that all wrist injuries should be 
treated as though they were actual 
wrist fractures. This means splints or 
a cast for as long as three months. 

If the wrist is not immobilized, the 
broken bones simply will not heal. 


The Collie’s And Radius Cleaver 
Fractures—There are two main 
fractures that are associated with the 
wrist. The first is the Collie fracture, 
named after a British physician. The 
second is the fracture of the scaphoid 
bone caused by the “cleaver effect” 
of the radius bone of the forearm. This 
bone chops the Scaphoid bone into 
two pieces when the wrist is pushed 
up against it. This is the most common 
type of break (see illustration). 

The Collie’s fracture occurs when 


the rounded portion of the radius is 
broken on the inside of the wrist. 


Wrist Compacture— Most com- 
pacture wrist fractures occur when 
you fall forward on the hands to break 
your fall. The pressure can be so great 
that it crushes one carpal bone against 
another, or pushes the bones out of 
place, causing a dislocation. Usually 
the bone that is compacted breaks in 
several places. This type of fracture is 
almost always set in a cast, and it 
usually takes longer to heal than 
other breaks. 


What Is The Cure?—When the palm 
of the hand hits the pavement in a fall, 
the underlying tissue and bone collide 
with one another in much the same 
way as the cars of a train collide when 
the engine hits something and stops 
suddenly, It’s a chain reaction involving 
all the parts of the wrist. This collision 
is called “wrist travel” The only way 
that the bones can be prevented from 
breaking is by controlling space in 
which the bones travel during impact. 

There are two main ways to prevent 
wrist travel in this type of injury. One is 
the use of a metal ribbed wrist brace, 
and the other is to use elastic bandage 
wraps. These methods are only about 
fifty percent effective, and leave 
something to be desired. 

Both of these methods immobilize 
the wrist bones and brace the wrist 
so that the wrist is supported during 
impact in a fall. There are several types 
of orthopedic braces on the market 
that are fairly satisfactory, but since 
they are only partially effective, let's 
hope that the skateboarding industry 
can come up with the answer for one 
hundred percent protection. 

Jeff Campbell 


4 





_OK Da 
this is a aican ad. 








SE 
WENDER® 


SYSTEMS 


us 
BROOKS 
m4) e358" 


Mw 
AXUMUM, PERFORMANCE 
P.9. BOX 1010 areal 
CALIFORN! 


AR 
9 








JOHN HUGHES JR. JOHN HUGHES JR. 


THE ULTIMATE 


— Accept No Substitutes — 


~ARROWSMITH IS THE ULTIMATE IN — 
FINE QUALITY, HIGH PERFORMANCE, 
HANDCRAFTED WOODEN 
SKATEBOARDS. 


All Arrowsmith Skateboards are handcrafted from the finest ash and 
maple hardwoods and feature the most advanced design concepts. 
Why settle for less when you can have the best! 


* SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER * 

#1 Buy the Arrowsmith Surfer with challenger trucks and reg. bear- 
ing wheels for $19.95! reg. 25.00 value. 

#2 Buy the Arrowsmith Competition model with precision wide 
trucks and reg. bearing wheels for $29.95! reg. 36.95 value. 
Offer expires August 15, 1976 


Dealer Inquiries Invited — write or call (512) 444-7777 





STEVE STACKABLE 





. COMPETITION MODEL e 27 inches 
long, 8-inches wide. The best ail 
around board, with the Performance 
Platform, for the money. Check 
below for special introductory offer. 


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46 


SKATEBOARDER INTERVIEW: 


TORGER JOHNSON 


“TOWARD A BETTER BALANCE” 


“You know, | kinda had a conflict in 
myself—is this really to be taken seriously — 
and | finally came to the conclusion, yes 
it is. It's a talent; it's something that is very 
valid, and if you’re capable of doing it well, 
you should express the beauty in yourself 
through whatever means available.” 

Torger was in L.A. for the day and called 
to ask if we could get started on his inter- 
view, something that SKATE- 


BOARDER had contacted him _ 


about way back last fall, long 
before the responsibility and 
opportunity had fallen in my lap. 
In fact, it was only a few weeks 
before that | had received the 
unusual request to conduct the 3 
taping, “unusual” because | 
barely knew Torger, had only 
spoken to him once before, and 
that communication came in the 
form of an argument over rules 
at a contest six months previous. 
| hoped hed forgotten about that. 

| had enough information on 
Torger’s background to realize 
that, as a non-hostile witness, 
he could provide a very unique 
perspective on the sport, having : 
been into skateboarding off and on since 
the late 50's. An avid surfer and skier as well, 
any parallels he might draw between skating 
and its two sister sports could also prove 
enlightening. What's more, 24-year-old 
Torger is now a semi-professional skater, 
working with Makaha/Logan Earth Ski, and 
accepting money for demonstrations and in 
competition (he's placed within the top six 
of every freestyle contest he’s entered during 
the last year), giving him insight into eco- 
nomic aspects of the sport. But probably 
what stimulated my curiosity the most about 
this multifaceted skater, were rumors that, 
despite being in a good position to make a 
living from skateboarding (albeit a meager 
one), Torger had recently opted for the more 
serene life of the Hawaiian island Kauai, 
where he was pursuing his three current 
passions: surfing, skating and the drums. 
The question was, was Torger bailing out 
of the skate scene altogether? 

Fortunately, though somewhat unex- 
pectedly, Torger revealed himself to be 
clear-eyed, soft-spoken and generally 
accommodating, as though past animosities 
were forgoiten. This was hardly the image 
of the brash, hot-tempered skater | 
encountered last summer, and he admitted 
that his attitude toward life was mellowing. 
In fact, in a conversation just after the inter- 
view, Torger asked me to add his apologies 
to anyone he may have offended within 
the text and at any contests last year His 
humility seemed genuine, just as his 
responses struck me as intelligent, informative 









by Brian Gillogly 


and at times soul searching. That day | met 
a much different Torger Johnson, one wise 
enough to know that he didn’t have all the 
answers, no monopoly on the truth, and 
that he didn’t need to: that what was really 
important was that he was honestly working 
in that direction, because success was 
something more than just being on top 

of skateboarding. He knew, he'd been 
there twice over 


You've been in Hawaii recently. 
What have you been up to? 

Well, | was doing a lot of wave riding, 
and trying to air my head out a little bit 
from the heavy competition scene this 
past year, and just trying to work on 
what is really fun for me, and possibly 
make that viable and good for a 
competition scene. 

How do you define “fun”? 

| like almost any kind of skateboarding, 
but there's certain kinds of moods that 
really appeal to me as a freestyle com- 
petitor, and those can only be developed 
in a relaxed, enjoyable atmosphere. 
You know, the kind of atmosphere that 
| find on Kauai. If | was to spend all my 
time competing here in Southern 
California, it would be a very short 
matter of time before I'd be totally 
burned out, plus all my moves would 
be copied by everyone else. 

How does your surfing fit in? 

I'm surfing like a mad man all the 
time and getting good waves. It's my 
thing. Everyone know there’s good 
waves in Hawai. 

| guess you observed some 
skateboarding while over there. What's 
the status of the sport in Hawaii? 

They love it; it's great. I've seen 
young kids, a lot of young Oriental 


and Filipino kids with ecstatic looks 
on their faces, bouncing off the walls. 

| think skateboarding in Hawaii is gonna 
be really big because everyone really 
digs it, especially the young kids. There's 
this kind of archetypal skateboarder 
over there who has visions of Lopez 
in his mind and a lightning bolt on his 
skateboard. It’s great; it’s 
really beautiful to watch. 

ls there much skate- 
boarding on Kauai? 

Well, there’s just not that 
many spots to ride on Kauai. 
There’s one little bank I've 
seen in Hanapepe town; | 
forget what it’s called. It's a 
little too small for me, but I've 
seen little 3%-foot tall kids 
riding it. It’s really fun to watch. 

You were in Australia 
} recently, weren't you? 

F| Yeah, | fulfilled some 
obligations for Russ Howell. 
He had to leave Australia. 
He was down there for 
Golden Breed. They needed another 
rider to come down and fulfill his 
commitments, and they figured that 
| would be a good replacement. 

What are your impressions on 
skateboarding in Australia? 

Well, there's a lot of enthusiasm for 
it, and | imagine in the future it’s going 
to go a long way. Right now they're 
very much in the dark as to what it's 
all about, what is the best equipment; 
and consequently, it's getting kind of 
a bad name because people are kind 
of, you know, they're not respecting 
pedestrians, they’re not respecting 
cars, and they're just getting radical, 
blowing everyone's mind. In Sydney 
especially. But as far as enthusiasm 
goes, there's plenty of it. With a little 
bit of direction and the right equipment, 
it'll be there to stay. 

Have you done any other promotional 
related touring? 

Well, when skateboarding was big 
before, | was part of the Hobie team, 
and before that, part of the Makaha 
team. On both of these teams we had 
Dave Rochien, Jr, who was our leader, 
and he would take us all around. We 


Torger’s got sole. 
Photos: Bolster. 


went all over Southern California, and 
then we started going up to San 
Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno, and 
then we switched to Vita Pak, who 
started making skateboards using 
Hobie’s name, and from then it just 
got even bigger, and we did a US. 
tour, split the team into two halves and 
did a three-month-long tour of the 
United States, traveling in a mobile home. 

What year was this? 

it must have been '65. It was the 
year of the Anaheim contest. Myself, 
Stevie Hilton, and Woody Woodward 
did the Continental U.S., Denver to 
New York, the northern part of the 
states. And the other half of the team, 
Danny Bearer, Dave Hilton and some 
other riders did the southern half of 
the states back to L.A. 

So the team had a heavy repre- 
sentation from the Santa Monica/ 
Topanga area? 

That was the Hobie team. 

Why do you think it was that there 
were so many hot people coming out 
of that area at that time? 

Well, that’s where it all happened. 
We were all fortunate enough to be 
around when skateboarding really 
started coming of age, and people 
started to do really far-out things. Now, 
| don’t know if you’ve heard of John 
Milius; he’s a script writer in Hollywood 
and enjoying quite a bit of success. 
He used to be a rather good surfer 
in the Malibu area. To my recollection, 
when | was eight years old, my sister 
went to school with him in Colorado, 
and he was a big surfer then. He 
really was hard up for surfing, so he 
started skateboarding. And when he 
and my sister came back, | was already 
skateboarding a little bit, he started 
showing me the kick turn. It was the 
first time I'd ever seen a kick turn. 
Before, we were just rolling around 
on four wheels. 

That was the early 60's? 

No, this was the late 50's when | 
was eight, nine. And so he and his pal, 
you know, they were surfers from 
California, and they were out in snow 
country, and they didn't like to ski, so 
they started skateboarding around; 
and to my knowledge, these were the 
people who developed the kick turn. 
They showed me when | was nine or 
ten, and | picked it up right away. And 
then the kick turn was known; every- 
one was doing it; all the little kids 
were doing it. 

So you had a head start on a lot 
of people? 

Yeah, | was around the innovators. 

And you did well at the international 
in Anaheim in ‘65. 

Yeah. | took first in the freestyle and 
second overall. 

What do you remember about thai 
contest? 

| thought it was a very well-run 
contest. To my recollection, there was 


quite a crowd, there was electronic 
timing on the downhill, which, | might 
add, Ventura in 1976 didn't even have. 
Good judges, Munoz, | forget who else. 
You know, people who know about it. 
And a very nice slalom course. | didn't 
do too well in downhill, but the slalom 
course was beautiful. It was exactly 
like the Bahne ramp, except maybe 
bigger. ; 

| understand they also had a 
fiatland slalom. 

Yeah, they had a flatland. | got third 
in that one. 


Wie SORRY da OL. a 
A casually sophisticated 1809 setting up 
another run on the bowl. 


How did that evolve? Just a way to 
demonstrate your kick turn? 

Yeah. It was a good event. | remember 
watching it. It was good. Danny 
Bearer won. 

You were regarded as something 
of a boy wonder at 12 years old. 
Were the majority of the skaters that 
you traveled with much older? 

Just a little bit older, maybe a year 
or two. 


“I was around 
the innovators?’ 


How do you account for the age 
difference between then and now of 
the people on top? 

Probably because there were 
people around then skateboarding 
that are still around now, and they 
have ten years of experience. And 
also, even then, slalom was always 
won by people who were 20, 22, and 





| think it always will be. It’s hard for a 
kid to beat someone who has skied, 
someone who has surfed, you know, 
someone who has really held their 
own through all kinds of different 
terrain. Get up against him, and all 
you've done is skateboard, he’s going 
to beat you. He’s more mature, he's 
got a better attitude than you, he’s 
seen more different kinds of terrain. 
That's in downhill slalom, but as far as 
freestyle goes, | wouldn't necessarily 
say that holds true. It depends on 
the individual. 

How would you compare the 
general level of ability of skaters 
then and now? 

| would say that right now, last 
weekend in Ventura, | saw skating | 
didn't see then; I'd say there's better 
skaters now because there's petter 
equipment, there's just more happening, 
more people are into it; it's better now 
this time around. 

You mentioned earlier that there 
were a lot of riders back then who 
were into very advanced moves, 
despite the limitations of their equipment 

| would like to give credit to a few 
people | think have been really 
innovative. I'm specifically thinking 
now of John Fries. He is the first 
person | ever saw balance in a nose 
wheelie position; that’s his innovation. 
That is a beautiful move, and it always 
will be. So | want to pay credit to him. 
He's from the Brentwood area. He 
was really a talent, because he 
came up with moves that are still 
happening today. 

| can lay claim myself to two moves 
that | think are going to be around a 
long time. One of them is what they 
call the space walk. | started that last 
fall. The first time | ever did it, | was 
just out riding, swinging back and forth 
from my back wheels, and | just didn't 
come down. And then there’s the 
pirouette, which kind of won the 
Anaheim contest for me, because 
| never did it until my final heat, and 
| was the last man out, and nobody 
had seen it before, ahd | pulled it off. 
That gave me one extra point and 
| took the freestyle. 

| understand you also rode pools 
back in the mid-60's. 

After we got back from Hawaii, after 
the Hobie team finished its tour, you 
can imagine we were all rather burned 
out on skateboarding, having given 
sometimes three demos a day that 
summer all across the United States, 
and we were really looking for some- 
thing to give us a rush. George Trafton 
told me about this pool in Foxtail Park 
near Santa Monica Canyon. And | 
went down there and watched him 
ride it, and he was in the tile on this 
12-foot-deep pool, really a great pool 
for skateboarding. He was in the tile 
on clay wheels and that was about ’66. 
He and Stevie and Dave Hilton, who 


47 








if there is Py) Pine fel eed a eer 
ERTL eno ROLE ee eT exeL LD 





all lived pretty close by there, had just 
found this pool and started riding it. 
This was after we'd kind of slacked 
off a little. That was the one last rush 
before | finally slid out of skateboarding 
for a while. 

Were you into banks too? 

Well, I've always been into that, 
and Grant Rohloff has films when we 
were 13, 14, shredding a few local 
spots. That was always a big part of 
my skating back then. We used to go 
and give demos, and we'd always be 
really edgy that we never had a bank 
to show them the real kind of riding 
that we were into, which was really 
heavy. Very much like surfing. Most 
everyone knows what it’s like. 

These days, | understand you 
especially enjoy grand prix style 
riding, downhill freeform. How did you 
get into that? 

That just kind of evolved. You know, 
when | picked up skating again, | had 
gotten into skiing in the meantime. 
Actually, my parents started me skiing 
when | was like 5 or 6, and | skied 
with them. They were really avid skiers, 
but | didn’t enjoy it. I'd always get cold 
and start crying. But | got good at it 
anyway, and | learned how to do it, 
and | kind of slacked off when | got 
into surfing and skating about the age 
of ten, and | didn’t ski for a while. But 
then came the fade out of skating, 
and surfing became really crowded 
and really a scene, and | started skiing 
a lot. Really got back into it when | 
was 17, visiting France. | already had 
the ability from when | was a child, 
and it came back to me real quick. 
Now | ski pretty well. 

Grand prix style is similar to skiing? 

Instead of like doing one trick, 
stopping, and doing another trick, 
| try to get at the top of the longest 
run | can find with no traffic. | like to 
start out with a little speed, pulling 
maybe a nose 360, and without 
breaking the momentum get back on 
my board and keep going down and 
just try to work tricks, but always 
maintaining momentum, never losing 
the rhythm of the downhill motion, and 
doing anything | can, like 360’s, 
switching stance, sliding my wheels 
out, pirouettes or whatever. 

You do a high-speed slide where 
you end up switch stance... 

That's a move that anybody can do, 
but for it to be done really nice you 
have to be going down a pretty good 
incline, traversing to control yourself 
from going too fast. In the middle of 
the traverses, check your speed, and 
then go into like a forehand turn, and 
right in the middie of your traverse 
you swing into a backside and shift all 
your weight to your front foot; it’s 
really pretty fast. And then with your 
back foot push your back trucks out 
and end up riding switch stance and 
then you finish the traverse backhand 


again. | come into it backhand regular 
foot, and out of it backhand goofy foot. 
Really nice move. But you gotta do it 
in the middle of a traverse with speed 
so that it looks like part of your turn, 

instead of going straight switch-end, 

without keeping the rhythm. That just 
doesn't do it, ‘cause when you splat it 
out like that, there’s a point where all 
that speed from going down hill is just 
swung out, a loose moment where 

your legs are switching, your board's 
turning around. If it’s done right, it really 
feels good. It’s just a variation on the 





A young but incredibly hot Torger, kick 
turning (“to slow the old wheels”) at a Laguna 
night rally in 1964. Photo: Ron Stoner. 


standup slide. But it’s got to be done 
right or it’s just a standup slide. 

It seems that your general style is 
more upright than a lot of the younger 
kids in the Santa Monica area now. 
They are into very low skating, a 
takeoff on Bertleman surfing. Do you 
consider your style more of an old 
school/old style of skating, that maybe 
parallels a classic surfing style? 

No, its 'cause | don’t like to get my 
hands dirty; | don’t like to scrape my 
palms; | just don't like to do that kind 
of thing. And even doing what they do, 





66 


‘1 can’t enter all 
contests. My head 
won't allow it..?’ 





you can do without touching the 
ground. You can do slides like that 
without touching the ground, and | just 
don't like to get really dirty like that. 
What | was thinking about was that 
most of the older skaters are into 


more upright skating. 

| hadn't really noticed. 

Whereas a lot of the younger kids 
get down lower, get their center of 
gravity lower. 

Yeah. Well, the only thing | don’t like 
is sticking my hands on the ground 
and getting all dirty. | like to ride low; 
| like to get down like that, but | just 
don't like getting really dirty. 

What are some of the areas you 
like to ride? 

My favorite areas in the 60’s were 
like Paul Revere and Bellagio and a 
few of the other schools in the Santa 
Monica area. But this time around, I've 
ridden some old-style pools, you know, 
that are just really nice. Old-style pools, 
not these really vertical ones, but big, 
wide open bowls, like in the Hollywood 
Hills where there's a lot of them. Those 
| really like. And yet | do like vertical 
pools if they have enough area to gain 
momentum. | don't like these pools 
where you can only get three pushes 
in; | don't like that too much, but that's 
because | use a longer skateboard, 
and I'm a longer person, I’m taller, and 
| have longer legs than most of the 
kids. I've seen some unreal riding in 
that type of pool. This friend of mine 
had me get the best pool rider | know, 
and he was going to film it, so | got 
Tony Alva and we went down to the 
Rabbit Hole. It was just phenomenal. 
He would carry his momentum. He'd 
go through the bowl once, come up 
off a vertical wall, do a beautiful 
cutback down, and back through the 
bowl again, up the opposite wall, back 
down, back through the bowl again. 
He would just carry his momentum 
for like three runs through the bowl, 
and each turn back would be at the 
top of a vertical wall. He’d come out of 
the bowl, go up the wall, and just do a 
real casual kick-turn 180 back down 
and back to the bowl—amazing. 

What are your thoughts on the 
different kinds of boards: flex versus 
non-flex, rocker versus non-rocker? 

Anything works if you get used to it, 
but | like wood boards because | can 
change my template, and mess 
around with it; whereas with plastic, 
if | wanted to change my template, 
they'd have to make a new mold or, 
m not even sure how they don't, but 
it's just more limiting in that respect. 
You can't mess around with shapes, 
weights. Flexes are actually very 
inflexible, because you have a mold, 
you have one template, that's it...ihey 
work fine if you can get used to them, 
but | think for that reason alone, you're 
at a disadvantage, because you can't 
experiment. They work fine, don’t get 
me wrong, they work fine. But for me 
they're not happening. 

You're planning to market a board 
in the near future, arent you? 

Well, I've got a board Logan's 
making for me, and has been making 


49 





for me since last June, and it’s just a 
little bit longer; it's 32-inches long, and 
a little bit wider than the normal board 
that Bruce rides. He’s been getting 
some requests for a longer board, 
plus people like my board and I've 
been around for a while, so he’s 
gonna put my name on it, and give 
me a percentage on each board. 
| think it’s a good board. Tony Alva 
rode it in Hawaii, and people were 
really impressed with the way he 
was riding it. It's a good board, you 
know, and | hope people will dig it. 

How wide? 

|'m not exactly sure how wide it is, 
but the setting of the wheels is different; 
you get a little more overhang on the 
nose and tail than most boards. 

What kind of trucks do you prefer? 

Well, just lately I've gotten used to 
Bennett's. For me the equipment is 
what | get used to. If I’m used to 
Chicago's, | like Chicago's better; if I'm 
used to Bennett's, | like Bennett's 
better. Right now I’m used to Bennett's, 
and | think they are a really good truck, 
but | don't by any means say they are 
the best, because | really like Trackers 
for banks. Certain kinds of terrain, 
Tracker’s are just unbeatable. Bennett's 
excel in freestyle. They are really 
a good truck. 

What about wheels? 

Wheels have been a problem for 


me. I've had wheels with really good 
composition, but terrible racers and 
bearings. | had some wheels that had 
excellent composition, you know, and 
they were really good wheels, but 
after two weeks in Australia, the inside 
of them, you know, they were loose 
bearing wheels, were just wrecked. 

| had to ride demos on these wheels, 
and they were making noises, like 
there was sand in there, so | was 
really displeased with them, but the 
composition of those wheels was 
excellent. Lately I've been riding Road 
Riders, and | really like them. They 
seem a Slight bit slow to me. They're 
really good for freestyle. | like them a 
lot for freestyle. You don’t need the 
max speed for freestyle. It's nice to 
have speed, but you don't need the max. 





“It’s a good way 
for kids to focus 
energy that would 
sometimes become 
negative..:’ 





What is your attitude toward contests ? 

Contests are good and they're bad. 
For me, | can't enter all contests. My 
head won't allow it; | get too burned 


out, | get angry, and take it too 
seriously, so | have to retreat from 
them sometimes. But | think they're a 
good thing as long as they're run 
honestly and as long as they use the 
finest equipment available; otherwise, 
| don’t think any rider should show up 
for the kind of contests where they're 
using stop watches. It’s so outmoded. 
| mean even the 1965 Anaheim 
contest had electric timing, and | 
can't believe that contests in 1976 
would have stop watches. To me that 
is just ridiculous. I’m not going to 
attend anymore such contests. 

You were saying earlier that your 
head has to be in the right place to 
skate well in a contest. Yet at the 
Steve's South Bay contest, you 
seemed pretty upset, but you did 
remarkably well. 

There was a lot of pressure on me 
at that contest. Usually when I'm upset, 
| do badly. At that contest, my head 
was focused on what | was going to 
do. My riding was together, maybe my 
attitude wasn't, but my riding was. 
Some contests, | just happen to be in 
the right place for them; other ones, 
| can't sleep at night, and | wake up in 
the middle of the night and try to go 
back to sleep, and the next day my 
head won't be inthe right place. But 
if | get a good night's sleep, and I'm 
not taking it too seriously, I'm riding 
well, then contests are fun for me. But 
if my head isn't wound down enough, 
it can be very unpleasant. 

| guess you consider yourself a 
performer. | think you like to perform, 
being that you're a.member of the 
Screen Actor's Guild and try to get in 
a little acting, and you're into music now. 

Well, you know, that’s just my life; 
it's just what fate has in store for me 
and | want to make the best of it. And 
like, | love music, and | would love to 
be a professional musician, so | work 
hard at it. It’s the same with skate- 
boarding. | used to kind of have a 
strange attitude about skateboarding, 
that it was really just surfing on the 
street. Surfing was what | was really 
serious about. But that’s not the way 
it is anymore, ‘cause | figure no matter 
what you're doing, as long as you 
express pureness through whatever 
means, whatever medium, pureness 
of the way you see it, and the way 
you want it to be, then it’s beautiful 
and good, and you should do it all the 
way, and that's what made me get into 
skateboarding really heavy this time. 
You know, | kinda had a conflict in 
myself; is this really to be taken 
seriously, and | finally came to the 
conclusion, yes it is. It’s a talent, it’s 
something that is very valid, and if 
you're capable of doing it well, you 
should express the beauty in yourself 
through whatever means available. 

So you're pretty serious about 
skateboarding. For instance, your diet. 





Bending with the flow at a secret reservoir. 


You mentioned earlier that you aren't 
drinking anymore. 

Well, | don’t drink...it's not for 
skateboarding; it's for my own self. 
| am pretty serious about skateboarding 
now, because | see it as a good thing 
for people to do, especially young 
kids who are so easily channeled off 
in the wrong direction. It’s a good way 
for kids to focus energy that would 
sometimes become negative, which 
often does become negative. So that’s 
why | think skateboarding is really a 
valid, good thing. It appeals to the 
kind of kid who is on the street, 
capable of doing all kinds of insane 
things, and it's a place where he can 
put his energy to divert it from 
negative activities. 

Do you have any definite future plans ? 

I'm hoping to be able to work with 
Brian Logan and the Makaha people 
like | did before with Super Surfer; 
you know, going around the country 
and maybe take some films and give 
demos. That's good work and that’s 
something that | have a talent for. But 
l'm always gonna keep my surfing 
program together in the Islands for 
my personal satisfaction, to keep me 





ready to do that kind of thing, touring 
like that, talking to kids. If | didn't have 
a release, | don’t think I'd be able to 
do it. It gives me a much better 
perspective on what I’m doing back 
here if | can just surf, just be surfing, 
rather than me skateboarding while 
all these kids are asking me who | am. 
You know, | can face that much better 
after being in the water... 

Are there any other general thoughts 
on skateboarding, surfing, whatever, 
that you'd like to share? 

Skateboarding is so much related 
to surfing and skiing. It’s all really the 
same, the same flow, the same rhythmic 
flow. If you can do all of them, so that 
they're mutually supporting, it’s really 
a good plane to arrive at, and that's 
what I’m trying to do. They all blend 
into one, one kind of rhythm, one 
kind of being for all three of them. 
They help each other. 

ls competition consistent with that 
kind of attitude? 

After the skateboarding thing kind 
of faded, | was on the Hobie surfing 
team, | was a member of the Malibu 
Surfing Association, and competition 
was really important to me, and it was 


really important to all the people 


around me. | wasn't railroaded, but | 
was sent into competition with really 
high expectations. That can be really 
detrimenta! for a young person of 15 
or 16, but once he wins and receives 
all this gratification, then goes out 

and he loses, that’s catastrophic, and 
it can really ruin your attitude. And 
that's what happened to me when | 
was 16. | went out and | won a couple 
of surfing contests, Single A, Playa del 
Rey boys, and | had been winning 
skateboarding contests; | was used to 
winning, and it was important to me, ~ 
and | didn’t have the kind of laid back 
attitude that you have to have, and so 
| just totally dropped out of surfing 
competitively. | almost quit surfing at 
one point. But fortunately, surfing was 
so important to me that | just kept 
doing it on my own. And now I've kind 
of come full circle, and I’m kind of 
able to compete with a better attitude 
than | had before. | really do think that 
kids 14, 15 years old, can really be 
hurt by that kind of really fierce 
competition, and | think it should be 
stressed that it really is for enjoyment 
in the first place. 


51 


“FISHEYED FREAKS 
AND LONG DOGS WITH SHORT TALES” 


URS deal y Oy ava 








A DAY IN THE 
BLACK GLASS 
TOWER 


Universal City is one of those 
places which really doesn’t exist. It's 
what the developers (civic planners) 
and real estate promoters call “a 
dream city for the future’ If you set 
out from L.A. City Hall and scoured 
the countryside looking for Universal 
City, you wouldn't find it. In actuality, 
Universal City isn’t a mile wide, an 
acre deep or even a block long; 

U.C. is nestled between North Hollywood 
and Burbank, with its back up against 
the foothills, and a diligent totaling of 
the sum of its parts yields only a black 
glass mini-skyscraper, a black concrete 
sign with brushed aluminum letters 
and a movie studio backlot that offers 
three-dollar tours, featuring synthetic 
quicksand, the audioanimatsonic 
polyethelene skinned shark from 
Jaws, who viciously attacks your tram, 
a simulated run-away train, and your 
own take-home photo of you with 
Frankenstein that costs an additional 
75¢. Universal City is really just window 
dressing for the corporate reports 

of the same company that owns 

Elton John. 

Nathan Pratt knew none of this; he 
was just a kid from the beach, getting 
interviewed about doing a skateboard 
jumping stunt in some movie. Pratt 
was bored. His manager, Skip Engblom, 
knew it. The coordinator from the 
stuntman’s association knew it. The 
56-year-old mini-movie mogul second 
unit director with the flared stretch 
pants and leather riding crop knew it. 
Most importantly, the 23-year-old 
starlet and secretary knew it, for it 
was her job for the afternoon to keep 





the 17-year-old skate Nazi occupied 
while the big boys (agents, managers, 
directors, stunt coordinators, union 
men, etc.) all took care of business. 
They figured that the lad could relate 
better to someone closer to his own 
age. Only he couldn't relate at all 
‘cause he’d never been this far inland 
in his entire life, except for the time 
he went to the surf contest in Texas, 
and that was on the other side of the 
stinking desert, while this was on the 
other side of the San Fernando Valley. 
She had already taken him on the 
Studio Tour and to the commissary 
where the movie stars eat lunch. 
There, over the roast beef sandwiches, 
she introduced him to “somebody like 
Martin Milner,” who plays a cop on TV. 
“Couldn't | meet Dracula or Gidget 
instead?” Pratt asked. The girl had 
even gone so far as to offer him more 
diversion than he wanted, particularly 
in light of the fact that glass-off was 
in about 90 minutes. Consequently, 
Nathan was standing back in the 
glass tower looking bored. Manager 
Skip had already succeeded in drinking 
the execs at least 93 percent under 
the table, let out all of his line, and 
was about to land the fish. “Well, my 
boy looks a little distraught; | think 
you guys just better make him a good 
offer to pick up his interest a bit? So 
the dickering begins, Nathan continues 
to look impassive, while Engblom 
appears vaguely threatening. Finally, 
somewhere past 300 dollars a foot, 
Skipper mutters, “It will cost you more 
over 15 feet, and he never jumps less 
than 12 feet’ At this they all shake 
hands, venture out onto the lot where 
Pratt jumps off a roof into the street. 
Cameras whirr, and everyone looks 
suitably impressed. On the way home 
in the studio limo, Pratt and Engblom 
laughed like hell. Nathan went to the 
tropics with his score, and Skip went 
to Hollywood Park. 


“ rw 


. 


— Bs 
nh ere ay 


A centrifugally rorned performance by Woody 
Waller (above). Nose drifting with Paul Hoffman 
(below). Speed slides on a banked track as 
executed by Nathan Pratt. 

Photos by C.R. Stecyk Ill 





“WHEN MEN WERE 
MADE OF IRON, 
BOARDS WERE 
MADE OF WOOD 
AND WHEELS WERE 
MADE OF STEEL’ 


There is a movement afoot to get 
skateboarding back to the basics. 

Its proponents argue that current 

skateboarding is a no-soul, lackluster, 
overcommercialized crock of catcrap. 
The slopes and sidewalks are far too 
crowded with neophytes to allow any 
legitimate self-expression. Magazines 
and films shamelessly exploit individuals 
and once-virgin spots in the name of 
corporate greed and individual ego trips. 

Camera boys fall over each other, 
rushing to ruin another skate paradise 
by exposing it in print. The sensa- 
tionalism evident in the skate press 
renders their articles as meaningless. 
Objectively examine one of these 
publications, and what do you find? 
Nothing but paper stars and colored 
dots. Whatever happened to skating 
just for the pure fun of it? 

Or so it goes. What is the answer, 
if any? Well, some find it in a radical 
new approach to equipment. The 
basics involve all-steel trucks, and 
wheels with a rigid wood top (preferably 
at least 2” thick). The purpose...well 
i's said that the best way to find the 
old knowledge is to use the old doors. 
The steel-wheeled skate offers a hard, 
non-biting, rolling surface which 
doesn’t melt or burn out at extremely 
high speeds. The technology of these 
beasties is easily within everyone's 
grasp. It is said that, after a couple of 
months on steel wheels, you return to 
the purest essence of the skateboarding 
experience and begin to encounter 
control situations previously 
undreamed of. 





54 








Aspects of Stacy Peralta as modified by angle of view (left and above). Lost in the concrete spiral 
Nathan Pratt riding (top right). Tony Alva offers a unique stylistic approach to high-speed bank ridin 
(center right). Ruben Kincaid’s tourmaline high-speed express (bottom right). 





“THE SOUND 
OF NO HANDS 
CLAPPING’ 


Woody Waller is into professionalism. 
Ten years ago, Woody skateboarded 
in a Tony Tiger sugar frosted flakes TV 
commercial, and netted something 
like $20,000 for it. Woody is the last 
of the low-keyed unknowns. Few 
people recognize him from the com- 
mercial. Of course, the fact that he 
skated in a Tony The Tiger suit and 
mask probably adds to his obscurity. 
On the streets of Dogtown, everyone 
has a scam, and that scam is their 
\ total essence: their way, manner, time 
and place of being are all dependent 
upon their particular scam. Waller's 
scam is that of a skate star, and there 
isn't anyone on Main Street who hasn't 
witnessed one of Woody's sidewalk 
serenades. He waits in the shadows 
for the arrival of the Big Blue Busses. 
As the old women get off, Woody 
streaks up and pulls off eight to 
fourteen consecutive 360's. He smiles 
while they drop their shopping bags 
| in astonishment. Woody has been 
sighted at all hours of the day and 
night, always in motion. On a recent 
afternoon, some of Dogtown’s heaviest 
scammers were hanging out checking 
out Woody's action. The crowd included 
talents like Paul the Nazi, who offers 
automatic weapons with his cleaning 
service; Mojo Blue, the king of Silver 
Satin and Kool Aid; Willie the Gimp, 
a trip man who lives off his many 
insurance settlements; Purcelle the 
Pimp, who busses his young transvestite 
honeys to the Marina in his pink 
Cadillac pimpmobile; Tall Tex, the 
second story man; Wheels the Wino, 
who takes his wheelchair to the bar 
so that when he’s too drunk to walk, 
he can wheel home; Bordercross Billy, 
who baffles the customs agents with 
his X-ray-proof, lead-lined, poly- 








propelene, zippered stomach bag, 
which he had surgically implanted 

in Switzerland to smuggle contraband; 
Morris the Merchant, the only man to 
ever have charged $12.75 for a pint 
of Jack Daniels sour mash No. 7, and 
lived to tell the story; Magnificent 
Marko, the casualty from the psyche- 
delic wars, who sold his story to 
Hollywood (it turned out that this little 
space monkey was an undercover 
cop); and 3-D Loveall, a bleary-eyed 
mad genius, whom, in between lathering 
up young lovelies with Redi-Whip, 
managed to find fame and fortune by 
inventing a 3-D television that you 
have to wear special goggles to see. 
Anyhow, this convocation of Street | 
Slicks gave Woody Waller the supreme 
compliment; after his routine, they 
began to shower the street with money. 








55 


TONY ALVA 


Tony Alva was from the banks and 
canyons of the Northern Points. He 
and his friends “didn’t go to school” 
together. Usually they would surf on 
the low-tide mornings, and ride the 
banks and canyons during the 
afternoon winds. He had a reputation 
for being fast. Tony wasn’t sure where 
this rep came from, and he really 
didn't care. He just knew he didn't 
like it. A couple of his friends told him 
about the contest at the Sports Arena. 
“Prize money” was the only thing they 
said he could remember. His sponsors 
were up for it, so Alva entered the 
Pro division. “Figured | could have a 
good time, and maybe pick up a little 
money. Besides, | needed a new car.” 
So they went to the arena, the pride 
of Exposition Park. Tony had the 
fastest time in the slalom prelims, and 
won the Cross Country. His friend 
Bob Biniack got second. Upon 
receiving his $500 check, Alva stated, 
“Take the money and run, son!” Tony 
was spotted in the Islands a week later. 








PERALTA 


Stacy Peralta originally entered his 
first contest as a lark, and eight months 
later, he was the number three free- 
styler in the World Skateboard 
Championships in the Los Angeles 
Sports Arena. All of this meant nothing 
to him, basically, since he had done 
it all in the name of fun. He was pretty 
much tired of the whole scene anyway, 
then came the final straw. What broke 
the camel's back this time was the 
night he was at his grandmother's, 
and he told her about being number 
three in the World Contest. His grand- 
mother began looking through a 
Skateboard magazine, and promptly 
stated, “I don’t see you in here any- 
where, Stacy.” “Yeah, | know,” he 
replied. “Well, Stacy, it seems that if 
you were number three in the world 
that you ought to be in this magazine’ 
“Yeah, | guess so, but I’m really not 
into it” “Then why do you do it?” “For 
fun, | guess.’ “Well, are you having 
fun?” “Stacy thought that over and 
decided to quit entering contests for 
a while. Might as well quit college too, 
and go surfing for a while. 

The next day, John Arnold called 
Peralta on the phone from Australia. 
He told Stacy that Golden Breed 
Australia would like to bring him 
“Down Under,” all expenses paid, to 
show them what he knew about 
skating. Stacy figured it was a good 
trip. He was on the next flight out. 


On a steep, windswept hill in a long 
forgotten canyon, the skaters had 
assembled. They were nameless, 
faceless sorts, with one goal in common: 
to hold a professional, no frills, 
“non-contest” contest. There were 
seventeen in all, representing the 
various stratas of the skate experience. 
The premise of the event was simple: 
each man would put up $100 cash; 
it would be a speed contest, with 
unlimited equipment (no restrictions 
on wheel size, composition, board 
length, etc.). It would be decided by 
the clock, and it would be winner take 
all; the winner pays for the enter- 
tainment. (The refreshments, in this 
case, were considerable.) The ad- 
vantages of this sort of event are 
readily apparent. By holding it them- 
selves, they sidestepped the tre- 
mendous amount of red tape and 
financial, legal, organizational, in- 
surance, supervisory and other 
hassles inherent to the “official” 
contest situation. Also, the non- 
structured non-contest was totally 
responsive to the needs of the 
entrants (after all, the competitors in 
this case were the organizers). As 
one of the participants commented, 
“The whole trip is a lot more up front 
without all the middlemen’ The 
implications are: if organized contests, 
per se, don’t measure up to your 
dictates..who needs them? Just hold 
your own. Gather up your friends and 
equipment, venture up into the hills, 
put your money down and get on it. ~“® 


Zs Z 


Nathan Pratt off the top (top). Indigenous faces from the blacktop jungle (bottom). Nathan Pratt off the bottom (far right). 


wm 








58 


“The Magic aromas Board” 





Pee 
Debbie Eldredge, a Star is born. 


The new Lice dive sequence fer’ Five ce Stories. 
by MacGillivray-Freeman Films 





ill Bennett, the head of MacGillivray- 

Freeman Distribution Company, 
knew it. “Hey, we've got to produce a 
dynamite skateboard story for ‘Five 
Summer Stories” Although everyone 
liked the idea, there was no time. 
MacGillivray-Freeman was already 
committed to other projects. Later, 
with the clearing of the calendar and 
work load, opportunity struck, and the 
company went to work on an action- 
packed, visually arousing film story of 
skateboarding. After two months of 
endless effort, skateboarding was a 
part of “Five Summer Stories Plus 
Four’— skateboarding, involving 
combinations of the most bizarre 
elements of wheeled riding, with some 
of today’s hottest performers: Nadalin, 
Alva, Sims, Waldo, Weed, Hitchcock, 
Guy Grundy, Steve Shipp, Mike 
Johnson, Fred Flavell, Roy Jamieson, 
Edie Robertson, Debi Eldredge and 
Jennifer Dimon. 

The day-to-day filming took the 
usual MacGillivray-Freeman format of 
dawn to dusk. After just a few days 
of filming, we realized that today’s 
skateboarding is more than the fun- 
wheeled wonder that we'd enjoyed 
ten years before. The skateboarding 
world has developed itself in a short 
period of time into a full, energized 
sport. And those who are its champions 
perform as gracefully, beautifully and 
as professionally as an athlete in any 
sport. We are amazed at the activity 
and energy involved in this world and 
its incredibly high-pitched vibrations. 

Now the sport has its roots as does 
surfing and skiing, but it is much more 
flexible: no need for waves or snow 
here. Find a slope or slab of concrete, 
and you're off on a ride that parallels 
the other two free rides, but in some 
ways has more potential for future 
performance development. Skate- 
boarding, just by being so young, has 
an opportunity to grow and mature. 
Even now there have been important 
track and field events that feature 
skateboard races. 

But we are more interested in the 
action potential of skateboarding and 
the almost insane riders of bizarre 
ability. We captured these powerhouse 
skaters in slow motion, slowing down 
their every move as if to enlarge it 
to a point of poetic motion. These 
tremendous athletes who manage 
their boards as an expert surfer 
manages his, are the stars of the film. 
They show where skateboarding is, 
and where it can be. This story brings 
forth every expression of skateboarding, 
providing a wild magical ride on a 
rolling board. 





Jim Freeman (right) aims the high speed slow motion 
Mitchell camera at high performer, Ed Nadalin. Much 
of the footage in the “Five Summer Stories”new story 
was exposed by special! MacGillivray Freeman 


cameras. Ed Nadalin (below) gets some air. 





59 


Guy Grundy (right) films himself at super high velocity. Waldo 
Autry (below), the king of the Pipeline, banks off the lip, defying 
gravity and all that’s sensible. Cameras were mounted every- 


where. (Below right) Ed loved the attention. 














Jumps form an integral part to skateboarding - man has always 
loved the feeling of freedom of air, whether it be jumping a cornice 
on skis, or a mountain with a hang glider. (left) Skitch Hitchcock 
| gets some air. Brad Ohlund (below) lining up wide angle fish eye 


= 3.5mm lens on Nadalin. 








61 





Big Surf in Tempe, Arizona, was the 
sight of one of the most unique 
skateboarding contests to date. 
Drained temporarily for repairs, 
the unusual terrain provided an 
interesting atmosphere with its 
large, smooth walls and flats. 
While results were not available, 
we thought you might like to see 
the photos. Inset photo: Vince 
Turner, stylishly negotiating the 
Surf Slide. Photo this page: Bruce 
Logan, extra effort on the Surf 
Slide’s flatland finish. Photo by 
Todd Friedman/Spectra-Action. 
Wonder Kid, Chris Chaput (right), 
taking freestyle routines to intense 
limits. Photo: Dan Gross. 





How to pull off 
a successful skateboard contest. 


by Ed Gottschlich 


S! you thought you might like to have a skateboard contest? Great! First you need a place to hold it. You had better 
find a city willing to close off a street or two, take guff from its affected citizens, and risk possible massive insurance claims 
filed against the city by anyone injured. Next you need a sponsor. He better have about $1,000,000 in liability insurance, 
and be prepared to pay for thousands of dollars worth of help and equipment. Prizes are nice—especially if you can get 
them donated. Finally, you need participants, so advertise as big as possible, because that will also bring spectators. 


ETRE = a 








Pe 


63 


After endless hours of preparation, the contest day arrives. 
The irate citizens have gotten up a petition against your 
contest, and have parked their cars in your street. They have 
also watered down the street so the first kid, practicing without 
his safety gear, falls and is carted away in the ambulance. 
The city will get sued for that one! With the help of the local 
police, you get the course cleared, funnel away the water, 
and line up the first contestants. Most of them did not pre- 
register because they wanted to beat the $3.00 entry fee. 
The starter spends most of the day debating with the contest- 
ants about the starting line. Because this delays the races, 
the crowd gets bored and wanders off. Time runs out before 
the final races, so more arguments ensue about who deserves 
the prizes. No one remains to clean up the gigantic mess, 
and the city declares no more skateboard contests. 

Most of the above was fiction, but some of the events 
described have actually happened. Does it have to be that 
way? NO! How do you avoid the pitfalls? Mostly through 
cooperation and understanding of all involved. 

First, why do we have skateboard contests at all? For 
everyone involved should top the list. Skateboarders should 
have safe places to demonstrate their skills and compete for 
prizes. Manufacturers can use contests to develop and improve 
their equipment. Recreation departments, schools and clubs 
need to attract and help young people. Finally, cities are there 
to help their citizens enjoy life. Skateboard contests, if properly 
supported, could further all of the above. 

If skateboard contests are desirable, let’s figure ways to 
make them successful. Large extravaganzas featuring parti- 
cipants from all over the world and lasting several days are 
great, but should be left to the professional promoters. What 
skateboarding needs is a multitude of small contests in every 
community, giving the average skateboarder opportunities to 
participate. For these contests to be successful, someone 
needs to offer help and advice to any small group willing 
to give it a try. 


VENTURA HOLDS ITS SECOND 
ANNUAL CONTEST 


by Diana Dootson 
he Recreation Department of Ventura, California, with 
direction from the U.S.S.A., held its Second Annual Skate- 
board Contest on February 14-15. There were over 300 
entries in the freestyle, slalom, and downhill speed run events. 

The slalom course was slow at the top, and ended some 
80 yards later in the customary tight slalom. 

The downhill speed run received the greatest support from 
sponsors. A perpetual trophy was donated by the Ventura 
Chamber of Commerce. Not a particularly fast downhill run, 
but estimated speeds of 30-35 m.p.h. made for an exciting 
event, nevertheless. 

Superb prizes were given for each event and best overall 
standing in each age division. These included precision wheels, 
trucks, a complete Fibreflex setup with Tracker Trucks and 
Road Rider “Fours,” and surfboards. 

The Ventura Recreation Department went all out in planning, 
organizing, and running their contest. Their efforts definitely 
paid off. 


LAGUNA GRAND PRIX 
presented by Oak Street, Inc. 

Oak Street, Inc., held the first annual Laguna Gran Prix 
skateboard contest at the Laguna Winter Festival, February 
29, 1976. We had 100 contestants and several thousand 
spectators. Everyone had a good time, no property was 
damaged, and no one was injured. The results of the contest 
are published in this magazine, but the biggest winner was 
skateboarding. Oak Street learned a lot about putting on a 
contest, and would be glad to share what we learned with 
anyone desiring the same. 


14 Years and under 


DIVISION | DIVISION Il 
FIRST FIRST 
ELIMINATION ELIMINATION 
WINNERS: WINNERS: 
Greg Kelley Robie Graham 
Eric Meyer Pat Ortega 
Tod Hauck Paul Constantaneau 
Bob Shea _ Butch Hamrick 
Steve Latronic John O’Connor 
Jon Pyle Robert Reeves 
Doug Salinido Gary Hitchcock 
Phil Moroso Joe Ropper 
Steve Hougard Tom Sims 


Cheryl Mawdsley Miguel Munoz 


Steve Cathey 


SECOND 
ELIMINATION Warren Bolster 
WINNERS: Rich Vanderwick 
Todd Hauck Ronald Hitchcock 
Bob Shea Dale Shole 
Cheryl Mawdsley Kirt Westgaurd 
FINALS SEMIFINALS 
Bob Shea Tom Sims 

Gary Hitchcock 

FINALS 

Tom Sims 


Mike Johnson (above), 1-legged skateboard | 


daredevil, going for speed. Photo: Dan W 


Gross. Neil Graham (below), pushing personal 


limits at the Big Surf Contest. 
Photo: Todd Friedman/Spectra-Action 


64 





se 


FUTURE EVENTS 

Gordon and Smith, and the Pacific 
Skateboard Association (PSA) 
announce that they will co-sponsor 
a pro downhill slalom contest at La 
Costa, California, on May 2, 1976. 
Gordon and Smith is posting $1,000 
in prize money, and other manufac- 
turers are contributing either additional 
prize money or contingency money 
which will total in excess of $5,000. 

There will be three events: the 
slalom, giant slalom, and the limited 
professional downhill speed event. 
SKATEBOARDER Magazine has 
offered a $250 cash award for the 
fastest time reported in the downhill 
speed event. Contestants will be 
required to use complete safety 
equipment (helmets, gloves, elbow 
and knee pads and shoes), and to be 
attired in uniforms in order to promote 
safety and professionalism. 

Please contact Dave Mcintyre at 
Gordon and Smith for additional 
information. 


The Amateur Skateboard/Frisbee 
Championships will be held June 5th 
and 6th at the Topanga Canyon 
Community Center. Regular skate- 
board eliminations will be held 
according to age groups, as well as 
demonstrations by top Pro's. For entry 
information write to: A.S.F.C., P.O. Box 
973, Malibu, California 90265. 


The Magic Mountain Amusement 
Park in Valencia, California, will be the 
setting for the First Annual Skateboard 
Masters Invitational to be held in 
mid-May. A special downhill course 
has been constructed on which slalom 
and a sophisticated cross-country 
event will take place. Also featured 
will be freestyle and exhibition skating. 
A select group of local and inter- 
national skaters will be competing 
for $2,000-2,500 in cash and prizes, 
and the contest will be filmed for 
worldwide television syndication 
by Goldstone Productions of Hollywood. 


Super Skater Division of R-M Enter- 
prises is proud to present the first 
Northern California Pro-Am Skateboard 
Championships, May 22 and 23, 1976 
at the Cow Palace, San Francisco. 

The public will be given a free op- 
portunity to participate in a Safety Clinic 
and a “Use and Care of Skateboards” 
Clinic, each on a 15 minute continuous 
format. They will be given a handout 
of rules and regulations and will be 
awarded a Certificate of Completion. 
Forty-seven Exhibit and Sales spaces 
provides the public with additional 
access to information and exposure to 
the skateboard industry in one of the 
most exciting events ever held in 
Northern California. 


VENTURA SECOND ANNUAL SKATEBOARD 
CHAMPIONSHIPS 


PEE WEES 8 & UNDER 


FREESTYLE 

1. Jeff O'Mahoney 
2. Robbie Kennedy 
3. Jennifer Dimon 
4. Nicholas Cosso 
5. Bobby Gianelli 


(*tie for 1st between O’Mahoney & Dimon decided by toss of coin) 


FREESTYLE 

1. Laura Thornhill 
2. Carrie Cooper 
3. Tracy Alaway 

4. Bonnie Kaplan 
5. Gloria Blanchard 


FREESTYLE 

1. Ellen Berryman 
2. Ellen Oneal 

3. Robin Logan 

4. Becky Martinez 
5. Kelly Farha 


FREESTYLE 


1. Desiree Von Essen 


2. Debbie Eldridge 


FREESTYLE 

1. Robert Fraas 
2. Paul Collins 

3. Bobby Gianelli 
4. Sean Wise 

5. Andy Margolin 


FREESTYLE 

1. Steve Shipp 
2. Doug Saladino 
3. Chris Chapitt 
4. Tim Girvin 

5. Joe Calderon 


FREESTYLE 
1. Steve Cathey 
2. Gary Kocot 
3. Andy Pryciak 


_ 4. Roy Jamison 


5. Steve Monahan 


FREESTYLE 

1. Ed Nadalin 

2. Bruce Logan 
3. Bob Mohr 

4. Fred Flavell 

5. Gordy Lineman 


SLALOM 

1. Jennifer Dimon 
2. Nicholas Cosso 
3. Jeff O'Mahoney 


4. Robbie Kennedy 


5. Ted Girvin 
6. Bobby Gianelli 
7. Jason Kurish 


GIRLS 11-14 


SLALOM 
1. Laura Thornhill 
2. Susan Bahns 


3. Gloria Blanchard 


4. Marinne Hazel 

5. Edie Robertson 

6. Bonnie Kaplan 
JR. WOMEN 15-17 


SLALOM 


1. Dodie Hackemack 


2. Kim Cespedes 
3. Desiree Crisp 
4. Robin Logan 
5. Robin Alaway 
6. Susan Powell 


SR. WOMEN 18 & OLDER 


SLALOM 
1. Sue DeLora 


2. Desiree Von Essen 


3. Lora Monahan 


JR. BOYS 9-11 


SLALOM 

1. Richie Myers 
2. Rich Zerkie 

3. Bobby Gianelli 
4. Jeff Van Manen 
5, Andy Margolin 


BOYS 12-14 


SLALOM 

1. John Drury 

2. Doug Saladino 
3. Bob Shea 

4. Steve Caranza 
5. Mitch Gold 


JR. MEN 15-17 


SLALOM 

1. Roy Jamison 

2. Dave Brubaker 
3. Steve Brown 

4. Tim Plumarta 
5. Scott McBroom 


SR. MEN 18 & OLDER 


SLALOM 

1. Henry Hester 
2. Bob Skoldberg 
3. John Hutson 
4. Tony Alva 

5, Chris Yandall 


65 


66 





SKATEBOARDER INTERVIEW: 


TOM SIMS 


WORKING THE PARALLELS 


by Brian Gillogly 


*..don't forget the Reservoir! Ya 
Know, most people want to know 
about the super hot spots.” Tom's 
slightly raspy voice surged through 
the telephone, betraying his light 
Jersey accent and his heavy concern 
for the accuracy and completeness 
of an interview SKATEBOARDER 
recorded with him two weeks earlier. 

“if | remember anything else, can | 
call you tomorrow morning ?” 

Twenty-five-year-old Tom Sims 
wasn't unique in his concern for the 
image that a personal interview might 
project, but the way he expressed his 
worry was purely “Tom Sims.” His 
boldness in such situations has gained 
him a reputation characterized by 
such adjectives as “daring” and 
“eager,” though it may be argued that 
as a businessman (he manufactures 
Sims Skateboards), on top of being a 
well-known longboard skater, his 
image with the general public demands 
close attention. 

However, what can't be disputed 
about Tom is his talent for skate- 
boarding, which he’s amply demon- 
strated in contests and in upcoming 
films. Even those who don't care for 
his cranking 360's and other muscular 
freestyle moves dictated by his 3’-5’ 
long boards, must concede to his 
prowess in slalom, speed runs, and 
the skateboard high jump (he’s tied 
with Brian Beardsley for the world's 
record at 4’2”). Tom's proven the 
versatility of the longer skateboard, 
and inspired young hotties, the likes 
of Davie Miller and Steve Monahan, 
in similar directions. In Australia, where 
surfskaters have recently adapted 
cut-down water skis to their cement 
surfing in much the same way Tom 
did eight years ago, his abilities are 
known, and his name, reportedly, 
verges on legend. 

Tom is certainly an interesting 
personality, especially considering 
his inventive mind, which has led to 


the refinement of the long board, the 
production of his own wheels, and 
the development of something he 
calls the “ski board,” created to bring 
the surfing/skating experience into the 
snow. In his spare time, he surfs, skis, 
plays guitar and—oh yes—eats 
avocados. But in the long run, and on 
banks and in bowls, is where he 
shines, adding a new dimension to a 
sport which is still young and wide 
open to fresh approaches in vehicle 
as well as style. 

It seems that a lot of the skaters 
from Santa Barbara contradict the 
easy going philosophy associated 
with that area. They often tend to be 
aggressive skaters, as yourself 

Yeah, that’s true. Most of the skaters 
maybe. 20 and over are just into style 
and long boards in the four-foot range. 
But when you get to the high school 
guys, they're pretty much into doing 
radical stuff and riding bowls, spillways, 
pipelines and reservoirs. 

Do the younger skaters tend to 
ride long boards? 

Generally. In Santa Barbara, I’ve 
seen probably more long boards 
ridden than anywhere else. The four- 
foot boards are popular up there, and 
the younger kids like 36-inch boards, 
almost all the hardcore young kids 
in high school. 


“In 1970, I was in 
New England riding 
5’ water skis with 
skateboard trucks 
mounted on them’ 





| know that in isolated areas along 
the Southern California coastline, 
longer boards, especially cut down 
snow and water skis, became popular 
around the late 60's. Why do you 
think they've held on so long in the 





Santa Barbara area? 

In 1970, | was in New England 
riding five-foot water skis with skate- 
board trucks mounted on them. The 
kick in the front didn’t really serve any 
purpose, but | just didn’t cut if off when 
| made the four-foot boards, ‘cause | 
knew the ski construction was very 
strong and had a nice flex. The only 
reason | was riding a long board was 
because it felt a lot like surfing. But 
when | came out west in late 1970, 
| really didn’t see any skateboards at 
all. | came out just after the Isla Vista 
riots, and lived in Isla Vista for a couple 
of months, and | rode my boards on 
the streets of Isla Vista. The surf wasn't 
too hot, even though the second day 
| got there they had a six-foot swell, 
and | thought it was like that every 
day out here. 

But you soon learned differently. 

Yeah...after a while, | moved in with 
a friend who had a house in Montecito, 
up above Santa Barbara in the moun- 
tains, and | ended up living there for 
a year in a guest house in the back 
where | made skateboards for myself 
and a few friends. | had about five 
skateboard buddies, and we used to 
shoot some of the big hills in Montecito. 
We weren't too much into speed; we 


- had clay wheels then; the first Cadillacs 


hadn't come out yet. We were mostly 
into doing cutbacks, bottom turns and 
walking the board a little bit. And kick 
turns—we were really into kick turns, 
dragging the tail. The main reason we 
would drag the tail was that without 
dragging the tail, it's sort of a balancing 
act. Like in surfing, you can drive all 
your weight into a bottom turn, so we 
used to put tail plates on the back of 
these 5%’ water skis. And then as 
things got more refined and we heard 
about the new racing slicks that were 
coming out, | immediately bought a 
pair. With the urethane wheel, we 
were all so stoked we couldn't believe 
it. It had more traction, longer wear. 





| used to wear out four wheels a day 
with the composition wheels. | used 
to go down to downtown Santa 
Barbara to the roller rink, and for a 


buck they'd sell me four used wheels. 


Now, they were almost regular size, 
but they were ridden for a long time 
and looked pretty ratty. | thought that 
was the greatest deal in the world 
until the urethane wheels came out. 

Generally, we'd skateboard on the 
way to surfing, and take a run on the 
way home. This went on until early 
1975 when the competition scene 
kind of started, and we thought it 
would be fun to do some of those 
slalom competitions. The first contest 
| went to was in Ventura about a year 
ago, and | was totally stoked. The 
slalom run they had there, even though 
| thought the turns were rather tight, 
turned out to be the closest to a giant 
slalom than any contest I’ve been to. 
But we were into even more drawn 
out turns than what we came across 
in Ventura. 

| remember seeing a picture of you 
at that contest, and you were using 
ski poles. 

Until the Ventura Contest, | hardly 
had any contact with skateboarders, 
except for a few friends in Santa 
Barbara. | knew nothing about what 
was going on down south. The ski 
poles | just used for a few moments 
in the freestyle to do, like, an off-the- 
mogul ski jump. And | forgot my ski 
poles during the first day for the 
prelims, so | borrowed two broomsticks 
to do it, and they came out from 
underneath me, and | almost nailed 
somebody in the crowd. So | kinda 
got turned off to the ski pole idea. 

Your board wasn't coming up with 
you, was it? 

| was just trying to relate the 
similarities between skating and skiing. 
The board would stay on the ground 
and move along at the same pace 
| was traveling. Ski poles are good if 
you're going to stand on the board 
parallel stance on a hill that’s not too 
steep, to just get your rhythm for snow 
skiing. But | find it's much more fun 
to stand in a surf stance, where your 
_ front foot is. facing forward, aiming the 
board where you want to project, and 
the back foot is crossways or nearly 
crossways to give most of your turning, 
which is the tilting of the board to the 
right or left, and for a little bit more 
stability. Whereas, with the snow ski 
stance, you're straight; you don't have 
the stability, and the weight distribution 
isn't as good. 

We started off with 4’ chunks of 
plywood back east, about 8” wide 
with trucks, back in the 9’4” surfboard 
era, around '66-'67. 

Was that when you first started 
skating? 

Well, | started in 64 or 65. We used 
to come out to California every summer 


to visit relatives, and | saw kids 
skateboarding. The very first time | 
saw a Skateboarder, | ran out to the 
garage and built a skateboard out of 
some old roller skates, and was so 
stoked with the feeling of letting 
gravity pull you down a hill and letting 
yqu create your own lines down a hill, 
that | went over to Sears and Roebuck 
that same afternoon and picked up a 
nine dollar Roller Derby, which was a 
rather deluxe skateboard in those 
days, even though | was dreaming of 
getting a Makaha. By that night, | was 
totally into it. | couldn't do 180’s the 
first day, but | could do slalom turns 
and sharp turns. And | was doing 
180's by the end of the second day, 
360’'s and stuff. 

Did you start riding longer boards 
when you first began surfing? 

Just about the same time short 


So > AU (a! Ai <> 
On a long board, forward foot placement is 
necessary in situations of speed. 


surfboards started to happen, | got 
into longer skateboards. And it seems 
kinda contradictory, but the whole 
reason for going shorter with a 
surfboard was to explore more on the 
wave so you wouldn't limit yourself. 
And the clunky feeling of a 9’ surfboard 
compared to the response of a 7’ 
surfboard is dramatic. Now, a couple 
of months after getting my Roller 
Derby, | started making 34” skate- 
boards, just because | could get more 


“we wanted a 
skateboard that 
would ride likea 
surfboard, so we 

could practice our 
surfing on land? 


out of that length and capture a more 
drawn out feeling. 








So you were surfing soon afterward? 

Yeah. | started surfing in ‘66, and 
the whole reason we started building 
longer skateboards, and | can re- 
member my friends and | sitting down 
and talking about it, was that we 
wanted a skateboard that would ride 
like a surfboard so we could practice 
our surfing on land, and that was the 
whole reason. And as surfboards 
progressed in their refinements, so 
did our skateboards: more crucial 
wheel placements, wheel wells, 
traction decks, and flex and controlled 
flex that would have memory. 

Were you also skiing then? 

Well, living back east, you’re stuck 
with a lot of long, flat spells, so we 
really had to innovate. We used to get 
into all kinds of abstract sports that 
would tie in with surfing. We got into 
riding ski boards in the snow. | made 
my first ski board in wood shop for 
my 8th grade project, and that was 
back in ’65. | made about a 3’ ski 
board, with runners on the bottom, 
plated with tin, with little strips of wood 
across the deck for traction. We'd 
wear rubber boots and ride these 
boards in the snow at about 20 miles 
per hour, build bank turns, and that 
was a real blast. When the tin wore 
off the runners, we started waxing 
them, and that worked even better. | 
had started skiing when | was 10, and 
it really blew my mind, because one 
day | started practicing parallel stance 
on my ski board, and when | went 
skiing, | immediately picked up 
paralleling. 

Ski boards evolved longer so we 
could carry higher speeds and have 
more stability. So | built a 40” solid 
fiberglass board, with bathtub caulk 
all over the deck in the shape of 
Hershey Kisses, and wore wetsuit 
booties, and had a shock cord out of 
safety cord. We'd haul through the 
woods in between the trees on those 
things. That board was stolen out of 
my car in 1970 when | came out west, 
and | just finished building a new one, 
and we're going to take it up to the 
mountains after the next snow. It’s a 
4’ balsa core, fiberglass ski board, 
with deluxe water ski bindings on it, 
with the front binding facing forward, 
and the back binding facing almost 
sideways. 

How does skiboarding compare to 
skateboarding or surfing? 

The ski board maneuvers similar to 
a skateboard: just by leaning. It’s not 
so much the unweighting and weighting 
of a single ski, which uses camber to 
work. | have a 1” deep, 6” long, 
aluminum fin, basically designed 
for powder. 

| remember when the surf was flat 
at Cape Hatteras in the summer, we 
used to go down to Kitty Hawk and 
ride the dunes on our ski boards. We 
even got into a really bizarre sport 


67 


68 





Even with an easy upright position, Tom 
reflects a very physical approach towards 
skateboarding, apparent here in flexing his arms. 


called pool skimming, a takeoff on 
skimboarding. We had big, long 
skimboards out of really thin plywood 
that were fiberglassed and covered 
with Slip Check on the top, with little 
slots in the tail to cause the water to 
draw up over the tail so we could 
actually hang five or ten on a skimboard 
across a swimming pool and not get 
a drop of water on us. We'd skim 40 
yards across the pool and jump out 
the deep end. 

You originally started making your 
4’ skateboards to stimulate the feeling 
of surfing, but lately it seems your 
skating has become more trick oriented. 

I'd say that riding a 5%’ skateboard 
is about like riding an 8’ gun surfboard. 
Now I'm riding a 48” skateboard, and 
it's more like riding a 7°10” surfboard 
in a 6- or 7-foot wave; it takes the 
same amount of power to generate it 
out of a turn. I'm into 360’s and stuff 
like that now. That just came about 
because of the contest scene. At the 
time | went to Ventura, | couldn't even 
do a 360. I'd given up 360's in '67 
when | gave up short boards. Now the 
tricks | do, like spinners and hand- 


stands, are all from what I’ve seen at 
skateboard contests, and | sort of see 
some good in it. Like, handstands 
keep your arms in shape for paddling 
when you're surfing, and keeps your 
balance in tune. As far as spinners go, 
| do spinners when I’m doing a bottom 
turn, and you can relate that in surfing 
to switching stance. Walking the 
board relates to getting up into proper 
trim on a wave. 

Do you usually walk foot over foot, 
or do you shuffle? 

Both. If | can’t fit a last step in, Ill 
blend a shuffle into it. The maneuver 
.l really enjoy doing is, on a big, smooth, 
wide hill‘up in the mountains, come 
into a turn backside, with the tail hitting 
at full speed but with a real hard tail 
block so it doesn’t slow you down that 
much, just So you can lay your weight 
into it and come up and do a full 
carve backside 360. | can see that 
happening in surfing in the 80's, so I’m 
getting it wired now so | can incorporate 
it into my surfing. 

Where do you like to ride in the 
Santa Barbara area? 

| just ride around on the hills in 
Montecito, and we go to San Inez to 
a couple of bowls. 

You once told me about a pool in Ojai. 

Yeah. That got filled in. It was a 
super-hot pool. Davie Miller and 
Stevie Monahan used to have that 
pool all to themselves, and it was a 
really hot pool, ’cause it was smooth 
yet grained enough that it did have 
outrageous traction, so you could get 
all the way to the top of the tile and 
make it. The deep end was like a 
square with rounded corners, and you 
could gyrate back and forth. | remember 
seeing Davie just gyrating up the walls 
for five minutes straight, just like unreal 
Bertleman off-the-lips for five minutes; 
it was insane. 

How well does your 4’ board work 
in pools? 

It all depends on the angles. Most 
pools, the 4’ board is definitely too 
long, because when you get up on a 
vertical wall, you have to start back 
down while you still have a lot of 
speed. If you wait, you just get hung 
up and free fall to the bottom. So you 
end up with a 4- or 5-foot span to 
turn in, and with a 4’ skateboard, 
you're in and out of that span by the 


A 30” -36” 
skateboard, I find, 
is a good all-around 
length for pools:’ 





time the board’s up on the wall. A 
30-36” skateboard | find is a good 
all-around length for pools. If you go 
below 30” you just don't have 
enough stability. 


So you switch boards for different 
terrains? 

Yeah. | have about ten boards to 
tune up for different situations. We 
went to the Mt. Baldy Pipeline a 
couple of days ago, filming for “Five 
Summer Stories,’ and | took five boards, 
and ended up riding a 35” board with 
a kick tail, flex with a lot of memory, 
and big precision bearing wheels. 
| really got off on that board; it worked 
good in there. It was very maneuverable; 
| could get high on the wall and still 
get down off the wall to rebound off 
the other side. But | went back to my 
4-footer just to see how it would work, 
and it was so close to ricocheting off 
the top of a wave that | rode my 
4-footer the rest of the day. Now, | 
was getting hung up on the wall a 
little longer, but | was digging on it. 
With a 4’ board inside a 15’ pipe, you 
can't do kick turns, but you can do 
some full-on, hard-driving turns. 

Do you have any other favorite spots ? 

One of my all-time favorite spots is 
the Escondido Reservoir, because 
you can skate along the top and drop 
in at any spot, so you can actually 
make up the wave: drop in at the 
deep end and take a really fast drop 
like on a sucked out wave, or drop in 
at the shallow end and do a flying 
off-the-lip, and then drop down into 
the deep end. Anyway, it's the most 
flowing spot I've ever seen. 

The most radical spot I've ever 
been to is the Spillway, just because 
of the high speeds that you attain and 
the transition of the side of the wall 
and the bottom. If the transition was a 
little more rounded, it would have 
been the ultimate skateboard spot of 
all time. But at 35 miles per hour plus, 
when you made that transition on any 
size board, even a 4-footer with tight 
trucks, you did get a hairy feeling. 

Another good spot is the T-Bowl in 
San Inez, because of the similarity 
between it and a wave. You push 
across a flat area, and you take about 
an 8-foot vertical drop, then across a 
curved plane and back up a vertical 
wall again. 

At the La Jolla Pipeline, | was ready 
for a really out-of-sight spot, but when 
| got there, | kind of looked at it 
hesitantly, like, “Is this really it?” ‘cause 
it looked so small compared with the 
SKATEBOARDER photographs taken 
with a wide-angle lens. We all took our 
first drops and almost ate it at the 
bottom. The walls of that bloody thing 
are so pitted and rough, and there's 
patches of sand, the takeoff spot is in 
the dirt, and the plane transitions 
are really radical. 

| remember one day shooting with 
Scott Dittrich (“Freewheelin’”) up 
above Santa Barbara, you were doing 
some unusual slides. 

You come down a hill between 
15 and 18 miles per hour, and you 





An enthusiastic skater, Tom hoots as he comes 4 
off the top in this visually poetic remembrance , Liat y : 


of a paradise lost. 


grab the downhill rail as you’re doing 
a backside turn, and you shift your 
left shoulder in towards the ground 
and try to slide out the back wheels. 
As you slide it out, you start to bring 
around your left shoulder to try to 
bring the whole thing around to 
complete a 360 spin. But the problem 
with that maneuver is that wheels are 
getting to the point where they have 
so much traction that to try to break 
traction is really hard. I’ve since 
sacrificed that maneuver 'cause so 
many maneuvers are better with the 
traction of the newer wheels. 

! understand. Scott also has film of 
you in Northern California. 

| did a lot of filming with him over 
the fall and winter. We went up to Big 
Sur and shot some big hills at about 
40 miles per hour. We also went to 
the Reservoir, the Spillway, and the 
Laguna swimming pool with Mike 
Weed. Recently, Jim Freeman filmed 
us at the Mt. Baldy Pipeline and 
at the V-Bowl. 

Where's that? 

It's off some freeway toward Mt. 
Baldy. That place is hot ‘cause you 
take a really nice drop, maybe nine 
or ten feet, cross the bottom and back 
up the other wall, and then you come 
off the left wall and back up the right 
wall into a tube, and go shooting right 
through the tube. | can't believe it, 
but the cement is shaped exactly like 
a lip, and you shoot through right 
under the street. 


“The main reason 
I go to a contest 
is to win whatever 
the prizes are,’ 


It seems that lately you've been 
taking your skateboarding and your 
business very seriously. You almost 
seem impatient to get “somewhere.” 

Well, when you sacrifice surfing 
“whenever you feel like it” in Santa 
Barbara, and being close to the 
mountains and going hiking, to come 
down to L.A. to try and make it 
financially in the skateboard industry, 
and you see radical ups and downs 
in the industry, you want to try to make 
it. It manifests itself in a not very 
laid-back life style. You have to be 
pretty rush-rush, or else you get 
swallowed up by everybody else. 


aa 





rs 95 
vo a i 


SY 


68 





* a 
a Z. 





I'd love to make some money in the 
- gkateboard industry in the next year 
while it’s flourishing in the Midwest 
and in the East, because a year from 
today, the price of boards will be so 
low that if | don’t make some money 
this year, I'll never make it in the 
skateboard industry. | hope to make 
enough money to get about a 30’ 
ketch and take off for the islands in 
the South Pacific to explore some 
surf spots that I've heard about. I'd 
also like to go to New Zealand and 
Australia. 

What kind of response have you 
been getting from Australia for 
your boards? 

l've gotten very few. Russ Howell 
told me that everyone over there is 
interested in what I’ve been doing, so 
| imagine that after freight and every- 
thing, my boards are just too expensive 
to import. 

You've mentioned before that you've 
also competed in skiing competition. 
What's your attitude toward sports 
competition in general? 

| competed in skiing competition in 
college, and it had the same drawback 
as a skating competition, that being 
that the first ones down the mountain 
in the morning when it was icy got 


70 


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Executing a 180, Tom sometimes pivots without dragging his skid plate for a quicker and cleaner splice. 


the fastest times. Like at the recent 
Ventura contest, some of us went 
down the run at 4:00 in the afternoon, 
and others went down at 5:15 when it 
was dark. | have a hard time convincing 
people that it makes any difference, 
but | know from experience that cold 
cement is a lot faster than warm 
cement, and also, you have to take 
into account the urethane wheels. 
The urethane wheels are fairly 
responsive to temperatures. But it's 
very hard to control something like 
temperature in skateboarding or 
skiing competition. 

What's your attraction to competition? 

The main reason | go to a contest 
is to win whatever the prizes are. Also, 
i's nice to get together with other 





“I think it’s all 
going to happen 
between now 
and 1980” 





guys who are super stoked with 
skateboarding, and generally meet 
new people. And | find that in two full 
days of competition, you can lose 








about 5-10 pounds of weight, so it’s 
an excellent workout just to stay in 


shape when you're working full time . 


in a factory and out on the road 
developing new wheels and stuff. It's 
nice to be able to take two days off 
and go skateboarding. 

And it's a vehicle for promotion 
and advertising... — 

I'd say that’s one of the least factors 
for me. | have used some of the 
contest results in advertising. | just 
figure we have to sell the public on 
the quality of the product, because 
you can have a hot rider ride a 
crummy board, truck and wheel, and 
come out fair in a contest sometimes. 

You were talking earlier about the 
future of the sport. Where do you 
think skateboard design is heading? 

| think we're going to see some 
sophisticated trucks, like, independent 
suspension trucks that would make 
for a really smooth ride. | think we're 
going to see some honeycomb 
materials for the chassis, something 
with high memory, good flex, and 
cheap enough to manufacture and 
market. And wheel designs-—| think 
we're going to see some precision 
sealed bearings that are actually 
made especially for skateboards. The 
ones we're using now are great; the 
difference between them and loose 
balls is like the difference between 
the urethane and clay wheel. The quiet, 
smooth ride, and the lack of vibration 
is great...I think it’s all going to happen 
between now and 1980. But | think 
it's going to take skateboard parks to 
keep the sport going strong enough 
to support the research, and it’s going 
to take local governments, the federal 
government, and private enterprise 
all together to financially make it 
a reality. 

Do you foresee some incentive? 

Well, | think they could financially 
make it. There’s a big demand, and 
the demand will continue for a long 
time. I've been skateboarding for 12 
years, and I'm still stoked on it. | think 
you could work this thing out where 
you'd have almost instant TV exposure. 
| was talking with John Clendenin, 
Daryle Furgess and Scottie Brooksbank, 
some of the original freestyle skiers, 
and they said that if you really want 
this thing to hang in there, the secret 
is TV exposure. They were the pioneers 
of freestyle snow skiing, and they said 
that the organizational end of it was 
just hanging on by a string until it got 
on TV just once, and boom, there 
came the sponsors and the money 
for the skiers. And | think it’s good 
that professional skiers, surfers and 
skateboarders can make money to 
live on by performing what they can 
do best. In skateboarding, it will take 
special parks and a lot of money, but 
it will be good for professional skaters; 
and, of course, good for the sport. 





Tom's four-footer directs momentum efficiently in high 
trim around the bowl at the Carlsbad Skate Park. 


While the cameras are running, Tom is always turned 
on and pushing the limits. 








Denis Shufeldt (above), perpetually cutting clean lines. Classic flow by Gregg Weaver (right). Greg Hunter (below), just an unknown, 
unaffiliated hot kid. Photos: W. B. 





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Concentrated solar descent. Mike Weed (left). Craig Halley (above), solo cruising scenic terrain. Photo: Ray Allen. Ty Page (below) 
performing some nighttime road work. Photo: Art Brewer. 





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-Bruce Logan (left) letting the good times roll during Black Hills last days. Bruce Walker (above), graceful style on a wooden ramp Photo:Steve Lester. 


Tommy Trozera (below) flashing on ciose proximity to the photographer. Photo: Larry Castruita. 


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Two perspectives of Gregg Weaver (left and above) in contrasting terrains; floating a difficult descent, and jamming a soft bowl. Photos by Dave 
Dash (above) and Art Brewer (left). Brian Beardsley (below), who shares the official world record (of 4’3”) for the skateboard high jump with Tom 
oe shows his stuff over a crossbar and a sports car, using only one skateboard. 


iS { t 














Curt Lindgren (right) has a new maneuver that one 

he’s been blowing minds with lately: riding one 
board on top of another, he jumps up and to the 
side, causing the top board to do a complete 
roll before he lands on it. Curt also does it on | 
one board. Amazing to watch, ego-shattering 
to try. The always radical Neil Graham (below) 
bending to the “max” Some of the most radical — 
action at the Ventura Contest (top far right) took « 
place on the sidelines with a skateboarding © 
variation of off-road racing. Photo by Mark — 
Aimerito. Tommy Kundinger (below far right), — 
“the broom committee,” sweeps the big bow! © — at 
on exhibition day. Tommy, who John calls the 
“only local,” was the first to trade his services 


for thrills in the park. Hl a ot a 





82 






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83 


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SIKATE PARKS: 


REALITY! 


“We aren’t just talking about it—we’re doing it.” 





Story and Photos by Warren Bolster 


n March 13, 1976, John 
O'Malley and Jack Graham 

of Skatepark Constructors, opened 
the newly completed ‘‘beginners’ 
area’ of their Carlsbad Skatepark 
for an exhibition/photo session, 
with some of the top 
cinematographers and wonder 
rollers in the business. The 
immediate, polled reaction of 
everyone present was one of sheer 
delight, especially since the so- 
called ‘‘beginners’ area,” while 
allowing an easy progression for 
the novice, also offers the 
advanced skaters a superb testing 
ground for their skills. 

The park, while designed 
primarily with the skateboarder in 
mind, will also cater to the roller 
skate contingent (ala Kenny 


84 


Means), and the moto-bicycles 
(Randy Davila, where were you?). 
Built to accommodate a maximum 
crowd of about 60 skaters, the 
park, however, seemed to be more 
comfortable with a crowd of about 
half that size. 

Nearly one week after the 
exhibition, the Carlsbad Skate Park 
was Officially opened to the public, 
and the throngs of skaters, parents 
and entrepreneurs (with similar 
thoughts in mind) who flocked to 
the park indicated that this type of 
venture was an extremely welcome 
one at that. 

The newspaper and television 
crews were present to record this 
history-making occurrence. and the 
following day’s broadcasts echoed 
some positive vibrations for a 
change in that, we quote: 


—Jack Graham 


“‘Skateboarders finally have a place 
of their own.”’ 

Plans to complete the rest of the 
giant park by June prove to be 
exciting, if not totally intimidating. It 
was an oft heard opinion that “‘if 
this is the beginners’ area, what’s 
the advanced area going to be 
like?” 

The fact thatthe park was run 
smoothly and safely (only a couple 
of minor abrasions and bruises on 
the first few days) is a credit to its 
owners, who spent a good deal of 
energy, time and money making 
this totally incredible experience 
more than just another fantasy. 
—W.B. 

Stay tuned next issue for more in 
the continuing series on skate 
parks, featuring completed parks in 
Japan, Florida and elsewhere. 





Succumbing to temptation, the work crew 
samples the “green” cement of the first three 
completed bowls (left). (Front to back) Lance 
Smith, Gary Coccaro and John O'Malley. Gary 
Coccaro tracks a clean line through the “ce- 
mentrical” first bowl on another “green day 
session (below).” “Skating away on the thin ice 
of anew day.” Gary Coccaro fishing for “the one 
that got away,” while owner O'Malley ponders 
harsh concrete realities (right). 














Baby Paul Cullen.(above) The small bowls, with their smooth, perfect curves, provide a fun, safe transition to high-performance skating. Jim Muir caught 
in the blink of a fisheye (below). Laura Thornhill (above far right) caught floating as if in a dream. Classic bowl rider, Steve Tanner (below far right), 


uniquely cross-steps through a high line. 




















Stylish flow by Neil Graham (above). ‘South Bay’s Kevin Anderson into powerful strokes under the watchful eye of action-connoisseur 
Bud Browne (below). Tony Alva into perpetual ricocheting around this paved paradise (right). 





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t Yet A 
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Skier-skater Tom Holleron cutting the cones precision tight. 











ADVANCING 





SLALOM TECHNIQUE 


by Henry Hester 


As skateboarding spreads across the land, more and more riders 
are becoming specialized into different aspects of the sport. 

Pool riding, freestyle, surf skating, downhill speed, and slalom are 
all becoming separate sports within the whole. Even in these 
areas of specialization there are different physical and mental 
approaches to the sport. In freestyle, you might always see the same 
tricks, but what makes it interesting is that everyone does it a 
little differently. Take Torger Johnson's style as opposed to Russ 
Howell's; they're both hot, but they are miles apart in approach. 

As my specialty lies in slalom, | thought I'd drop a line with some 
advice that can be used by everyone. During the course of the 
past year, I've picked up on some little things that help in getting 
through a course a little faster. 

As your ability improves, your mental attitude becomes more 
important. | find that my riding is almost 100% mental. A top rider 
has to think his or her way down a course as well as ride it. 

I've worked up to where | can think three cones in advance at high 
speed. How can the average rider get to that point and beyond? 
Why will one rider have a problem on one cone when his buddy 
is baffled by the next? Why can someone look fast and not 

turn a good time? 






1 
ered . » 


‘Get set'is the cue to kick your board back about two feet.” Henry Hester hot-wiring reality. 


Let's start with the last question first. There are a lot of racers who 
are capable of turning faster times, but they aren't going all out 
on the push-start. When the starter says “Go; you've got to 
be moving..."On your mark; get your board right up to the line. 
“Get set.” Now get set doesn’t always mean to stand still like 
| thought it did. “Get set” is the cue to kick your board back about 
two feet, and as soon as it's back there, start it forward at 
full speed. Nine times out of ten you'll get a “Go” as soon as you 
pass the line! A perfect start. 

Pushing to the next line is also very important. | have found that 
short, quick’ pushes (maybe only four-feet each) outweigh the 
long smooth ones. I've been beaten because of this more than one 
time, mainly because | stuck to the long pushes for so long. 

Since I've changed, my times have dropped right down. 
Yours will too. 

Once you get your stance after the “no push line’ you must 
pump your board with quick, short pumps to the first cone. 
Anytime you do a long, smooth move in slalom, you are wasting 
time. The quick, fast moves are always faster, even if they're a little 
choppy. Anything is better than just standing there! Pick a board 
that will flex in this manner, and you have half your work done already. 


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“Your whole body gets stiff as you work like a pendulum, back and 
forth from the waist down.” Chris Yandall and Stacy Peralta 
straight-lining the cones at the San Diego World Contest. 


“Keep your clothing tucked in and not flapping in the wind.” Steve 
Schisler’s convenient answer to flapping pants legs. Photo: Kevin Knode. 


” 


Conrad Miyoshi. “Our brakes are our knees. 





The first three cones are the ones that get you going. If you 
go your fastest through the first two or three cones, you may have 
some serious problems with the fourth or fifth. As you go faster, 
your board is going to angle towards the fall line. The nose doesn't 
want to come up over that next cone. One way to control that 
angle is to lean with your whole body stiff as a board. Most riders 
will crouch down and bend their knees in times of urethane stress. 
This is all wrong. What you need is weight on the wheels, and a 
straight body will always do it. Remember-to crouch is to spin! 

OK, we've gotten around that hard one, and it’s usually smooth 
sailing from there on out. Right? Wrong! That's where you have 
to go to work. You've gotta grit your teeth, restock your M&M's, and 
bear down on that board. Anytime the course gets easy (and 
they all do somewhere), you must go into your short pump 
routine again. Not until the end at high speeds should you break 
into a long, rythmic pumping motion. 

Taking the last half of the course with short, tight lines (where 
the cones usually get straight) was something | never agreed 
with until my good pals started to wax me every week. The closer 
you get to the cones, the faster you will go. To take a straight slalom 
run with wide, pumping turns is the first sin in slalom racing. 

It is possible to maintain a strong pump, but still keep your angle 
straight to the cones. Your ankles must get really tight; in fact, 

your whole body gets stiff as you work like a pendulum, back and 
forth from the waist down. Once again a tense body will be a fast 
body under times of stress. 

So I'm saying to keep a stiff body while racing (not all the time). 
Bending your knees is only important when you are braking. 
Braking? Why would you want to break on a slalom course? The 
reason is simple. Take a motocross rider, or any race driver. 

The most important thing is to learn to slow down as fast as they 
speed up. Our motors are the slant of the hill and our pumping 
motions. Our brakes are our knees. Let's say you're going 

really fast along some easy cones, and you get to the first hard one. 
Wham! You miss it! Next time you cruise those cones, think 

about how you missed that cone in the first place. You make the 
run, but your time is really slow. Both approaches are equally wrong. 
You don't want to waste time on any course, So go just as fast 

as the first time, but two to three cones ahead of the hard one, start 
dropping your body down in between the cones, using your 
knees to suck the ground up into your body. It’s just like the bumps 
when you are skiing. The speed you maintain before you brake 
will do wonders to your time. Use your start pumps to get 

going again. 

Some last, quick reminders are: keep your clothing tucked in 
and not flapping in the wind. Tape your bellbottoms so they won't 
knock a cone over. Make sure your helmet fits perfectly. Get one 
that fits you and not your older brother. Your mom and dad should 
be glad to pay; there is no price on safety. Helmets (hockey helmets 
are hot!), knee and elbow pads, wrist braces and good shoes 
are a must on every slalom course. When you get this gear, victory 
is only fire and determination away! 











Turner (above right) turning times 
before the scenic Black Hills’ demise. Top pro racer Henry Hester (below 
right) (a recent convert to the wide, safe Tracker truck). “I find that my riding 
is almost 100% mental.” Photo: Kevin Knode. “The closer you get to the 
cones, the faster you will go.” Tom Holleron (below left), as tight as you can get. 


93 








Desiree 
Von 
Essen 


17 years old, rides 
for R.A.C.O. skateboards 


“When | do three or four 360's 
at a time, or some fast, long end- 
overs—Wow, | feel great! They just 
wake me up and keep me going 
all day.’ 

Desiree Von Essen has so 
much enthusiasm for skateboarding, 
it's actually proven contagious in 
her home town of Ventura, which 
may boast one of California's 
highest concentrations of female 


well, which is even surprising to 
Desiree: “This town must be small 
or something, but they just think 
it's great? This sentiment is similarly 
expressed by the general populace 
of Ventura, who regard her as 
something of a hometown celebrity. 
In fact, as a top contender for 
the No. 1 spot in the women’s 
division, Des has received “maybe 
too much” local media attention. 
When she was a guest star on a 
Perry Como special last fall, more 
than adequate mention was made 
in the county newspaper and in 
the school bulletin at Buena High 
where Des is a senior. To add to 
her embarrassment, a local radio 
station also helped out, reminding 
residents to tune in. (“At least I’m 
not the ‘tomboy next door’ anymore’) 
But such publicity is only so 
much gloss. Rather, Desiree’s 
unusual skateboarding talent is 
obvious to anyone who's ever 
seen her flow through a routine. 
After seven years of copying her 
brother’s maneuvers and practicing 
on her own, she has evolved a 
slightly knock-kneed style which 


ey CAE EGIIBEN pore toar HESSD InaGel riders. A conservative estimate allows for very smooth, controlled 
: might reveal that one in every four skating. Wheelies, 360’s, and fast 


lot to smile about. Photo courtesy Ventura Star 4 
Free Press. local skaters is female, many of and flawless end-overs are her 


whom were watching that day in forte. Des has also been known to 
the fall of 74 when at the city do a little ballet on her board, 
contest, Desiree took 3rd out of a although she is quick to admit, 
field of 30 skaters—29 of themmale! “I don’t get into it at all’ She'd 
Over a year and a half and rather be enjoying the rush of 
many winning performances later, riding a pool or cruising the long 
the male skaters of Ventura seem __ banks of the Spillway, her once- 


“It’s not round, but it’s so tough!” ; ; : P 
Photo: George Bellinger. 3 to be taking Desiree’s success favorite spot. 


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94 


As for competition, Desiree 
finds a value in it as well, over and 
above the money and prizes it has 
brought her way. Des states, 

“| picked up most of my tricks in 
contests this past year. | never 
learned any hard tricks before 
,then-I| was just messing around’ 
She cites Andrea Malczewski as a 
particular influence in that Andrea 
was “one of the very first com- 
petitors” she’d ever seen master 
the nose wheelie. 

But like Andrea and most other 
female competitors, Desiree has a 
legitimate gripe with contest 
promoters and organizers: “It's 
ridiculous the difference in the 
prizes between the men’s and 
women’s divisions...and at every 
contest our events get stuck at 
the end’ She sees this situation as 
possibly leading to a women’s 
skating organization similar to 
WISA (Women’s International 
Surfing Association), “because we 
just don’t get proper recognition!” 

Deservedly, Desiree is beginning 
to receive that recognition; because, 
like a few other accomplished 
skaters who just happen to be 
girls, Desiree’s talent transcends 
any imagined sex barrier. As for 
where it’s all leading, “Probably just 
memories; she states pensively. 
But after a short pause Desiree 
adds without reserve, “I think I'll be 
skateboarding for a long time to 
come?’ Judging by the tone of her 
voice, it’s hard to imagine otherwise. 


BRIAN GILLOGLY ® 





With a tight, straight spin, Desiree has one-footed nose 360's wired. 


Des has long been adept at two-board moves. 








95 





20 years old, 
rides for California Pro Team 
and Trend Merchandising 


It was a warm, fall day at Friendship 
Park in San Pedro when skateboarders, 
aTV crew and a collage of spectators 
gathered for the filming of a skate- 
boarding sequence to a television 
special. The wide, curved sidewalks 
which run along and through the 
grassy plateau were quickly beset with 
the skaters, among them a few of the 
most recognized names in the sport 





= - =a 
Classic “Nadalin” style and costume. Photo: Snyder. 


(Ty Page, Tom Sims and Skitch 
Hitchcock to mention a few), as they 
began leisurely going through their 
maneuvers. 

But after a short while, out from the 
pack came an unknown rider, lean in 
his tee shirt and shorts, barefoot, 
weaving rhythmically, fast and smooth 
in a slightly hunched-over style that 
showed concentration, yet ease. And, 
as he continued to cat-dance his board 
along the main walk, never touching 
down as he went from 360's to 
wheelies to stand-up slides, the other 
skaters would periodically stop to 
observe, looking curious and some- 
times intimidated as he passed. Yet, 
if this group had been more aware, 
they would have recognized the rider 
as the guy who two months earlier at 
the Hang Ten World Pro-Am, came out 
of nowhere to take the amateur men’s 
freestyle event. His name, as they all 
realize by now, is Ed Nadalin. 

Ed is an extraordinary agile free- 
styler who, following his debut per- 
formance at the Pro-Am, has twice 
again proven his contest skating 
abilities: 1st at both Belmont Park and 
Ventura. His competition record has 
won him instant stardom within the 
skateboarding community, and his 
credits continue to build. Ed just 
completed a featured role in the 
skateboarding sequence to “Five 


Through determination, practice and evident innate 


Edged in between flawless wheelies, handstands, and 360’s, an intense slider 
becomes but a continuity move. Photo: Greg Snyder. 








96 


talent, Ed has established the standard of excellence 
in freestyle competition. Photo: Jeff Ruiz. 


ort 











Summer Stories,” where he performs 
some amazing and amusing theatrics. 
As of this writing, he'll be finishing a 
week-long Hawaiian holiday (ist place 
prize from Belmont Park), after which 
he'll tour the Sacramento area and, 
beginning April 12th, the East coast. 
In May and June, Ed will be competing 
in two televised invitational professional 
meets to be held at Magic Mountain, 
California, and in New York City, 
respectively. He admits he’s come 

a long way in a short time. 

Ed's attraction to skateboarding 
began five years ago when he moved 
from San Jose to Irvine, California, 
and took his cue from local surfer/ 
skaters. Three years later, studying 
music and math at college in Costa 
Mesa and working in a department 
store, Ed was completely sold on the 
sport, feverishly devoting every spare 
minute to his skating. When a guy 
named Henry Lurecia encountered 
him riding at Huntington Beach one 
morning and asked him if he'd like 
to ride for his new wheel company, 
Power Paw, Ed wholeheartedly 
accepted. Eventually, he quit school 
and work and began practicing 4-5 
hours a day, until Henry entered him 
in the Pro-Am, his very first contest. 

These days, already having one 
of the widest repertoires in the sport, 
Ed is concentrating on style. For 


Gorilla-gripping a la Skitch Hitchcock, Ed has an 


inspiration he looks to people like 
Skitch Hitchcock, from whom he's 
learned the “gorilla grip” (toe) jump 
(Ed calls it a “Skitch”), and especially 
to Russ Howell: 

“Russ brings out the poetry in 
skateboarding: the movements, the 
hand positioning. I’m looking at old 
films of Russ, trying to get some hand 
movements myself” But Ed explains 
further, “I’m also trying to develop my 
own style: a routine of quick, fluid 
movements rather than having one 
or two main tricks, which is more 
or less a gimmick.’ 

Within the last few months, Ed has 
also started bank skating, riding the 
Tunnel in El Toro, and loving it. He 
comments, “It's a rush doing 14's, 
power slides and coming down a wall 
really fast” The same, he says, also 
applies to the newly opened Carlsbad 
Skatepark, which, along with other 
such parks, “will go a long way toward 
making skateboarding a sport rather 
than just a recreational outlet.” 

However, one might argue that it’s 
skaters like Ed Nadalin, possessing 
grace, talent and flash, who could 
evolve skateboarding into an athletic 
art form comparable to dance or figure 
skating. Many. observant skaters 
believe that Ed is already heading 
in that direction. 


BRIAN GILLOGLY -® 


uncanny ability to pick up new tricks and make them 


his own. Photo: Greg Snyder. 








Seemingly inward looking, obviously outward 
expressive. Photo: Greg Snyder. 


97 





Dancing in the moonlight. Photo: Art Brewer. 


Stylish cross-step transition. 





98 





Brad 
Logan 


20 years old, 
rides for Makaha 
Logan Earth Ski 


“Brad's got a good head on his 
shoulders; Brian Logan is saying 
when asked about his younger brother's 
strong points. “He's also getting really 
good at freestyle—he'll be winning 
contests pretty soon, | think” 

As one of the more humble, laid-back 
individuals in the limelight in these 
rapidly progressing days of skate- 
boarding, Brad Logan, as a part of 
one of the heaviest skateboarding 
families, does indeed seem to have a 
lot going for him. 

Quieter than most, Brad seems 
almost totally unconcerned, com- 
petitively speaking, although he does 


regularly compete with the team, 
probably enjoying the peripheral 
activities as much as the events. But 
let's let Brad tell it... 

“Freestyle is there to make money 
at the moment, but I’m into bowls and 
banks. In Arizona at the Big Surf 
Contest, they had a bank in the Surf 
Slide run, and | got second, but it was 
only in the amateurs, though. I'd like 
to see bank riding contests, but | think 
it'd be hard to judge the different styles’ 

Until the advent of such events, 
he'll just be trying to make the most 
of the other aspects—his strong point 
being his freestyle. Previously preferring 
a flat, wooden board, he’s recently 
gotten onto the new kicktail, which he 
says he prefers for banks, pools and 
360’'s, but still preferring the flat model! 
for freestyle because “I feel a little 
looser on it? 

When asked what aspects of 
skating he prefers, he begins to name 
practically every conceivable form 
known. He may be laid back, but 
he’s into it. 

Brad describes his all-time favorite 
place as the (now defunct) Reservoir. 
“| used to like to get up early in the 
weekday mornings and go out there. 
Shufeldt used to always call me, and 
we'd go out there. It was a nice drive, 
in a way-—very few cars.’ 

Brad's easy-going attitude is 
reflected in his casual, photogenic 
style, which always seems to add that 
graceful touch to any and all terrain. 
He’s been to every major spot (even 


in the Islands) in the last year, and 
has been photographed consistently 
by most of the top cinematographers, 
in spite of never pushing himself. 

When asked who his favorite 
skaters are, he immediately mentions 
Ty Page and Tony Alva. “I've skated 
with Ty since he was a real little kid, 
back in '68 or '69. Tony pushes you 
more. He skates a lot different than 
other people. A very unique, unusual 
style. He's improved in bank riding 
and pool riding, and all-around riding 
in the last six months more than 
anyone I've ever seen? 

Upon recently returning from 
Colorado, where he gave demon- 
strations with Torger Johnson, Brad 
stated his future intentions as continuing 
to teach a skateboard safety class at 
the YMCA. His class runs two hours 
a day, two days a week, for eight 
weeks. “I have a 50-year-old lady in 
the class; she's stoked. | even sold 
her a board.’ 

“I'd like to see skateboarding get 
as professional as tennis is here 
(La Costa area), because | think 
professional skateboarding is much 
more difficult and dangerous than 
tennis, and look at the money people 
in tennis are making. 

Skateboarding, for me, started off 2 
as just something to do for fun. Now ga 
there’s a lot better equipment and a ? ; 
lot of people who have got a lot of POR: 
money on the line for skateboarding. _ Getting high in the deep end. 
| just don't think there’s any way that 
its gonna fade away.” ® Already a frequent visitor to the new park. 








ny 
: 
; 





——— eC 





18 Years Old. Rides for 
Makaha/Logan Earth Ski 


There are few people in the world 
of skateboarding who have the 
balance, the timing, the speed or 
the versatility of Tony Alva. He is 
amazingly limber, and will ad- 
mittedly “go fer anything,’ which 
makes him a standout in any 
crowd. The original Gumby Man of 
skateboarding, Tony uses his body 
weight to aid speed, traction, flow 
or direction in all his riding. His 
body does indeed work constantly, 
and the use of his knees and 
ankles in whip or snap turns gives 
him an extra level of fine tuning that 
few other riders have yet dis- 
covered. At the recent opening 


of the Carlsbad Skate Park near 
Carlsbad Raceway, with the madly 
plunging and pitching motocross 
bikes in the background, Tony 
stood out as strangely similar to 
those racers as he climbed and 
dropped on the banks and bowls, 
thrusting his body for extra speed 
in the turns, or bending at the knees 
or ankles to stay atop his some- 
times horizontal, sometimes 
vertical board, all the while keeping 
both feet flatly attached. 

Unlike the majority of riders who 
can be classified as specialists in 
one field or another (flatland, 
banks, slalom, etc.), Tony spe- 
cializes in versatility. On banks and 
pools, his rubbery reflexes and 
“Tl try anything” attitude combine 
to make him perhaps the best 
bank rider going. In slalom, his 
perfected sense of rhythm and 
timing are apparent as he gyrates 
his body as rhythmically as a 
slow-motion belly dancer, 
snapping around the cones with 
ankle action, while still drawing as 
straight a line as possible. And in 
freestyle, his natural coordination 
shines through as he effortlessly 
cranks his body into multiple 360’s 
or casual nosé wheelies on the 
side of a bank. These are the 
qualities that put Tony Alva among 
the top riders in any area he 
chooses. 


Tony has been intimate with 
skateboards for the past eleven 
years. A native of Skatetown 
(Santa Monica to most of us), he 
has ingrained in himself the 
aggressive characteristic of the 
skaters who have emerged from 
this area. Indeed, there is nothing 
passive about the riding of 
Tony Alva. 

During a session at Hawaii's 
famed Uluwatu, Tony had the 
spectators both hypnotized and 
terrorized. Starting at the far end of 
the bowl with several powerful 
pumps, he would fire down the 
bank, across the bowl, and up the 
other side toward the spectators 
who sat lined on the edge of the 
bowl. All the time you're thinking, 
“| wonder if this guy’s got it in 
control,’ and right when you decide 
that maybe he doesn’t, and maybe 
he’s going to lose it, and your 
adrenalin gets to pumping and 
your head starts flashing panic 
cuz the nose of that board is aimed 
right between your eyes, he pulls 
off a casual kick turn off the lip, 
about six inches from your nose, 
heads back down the bank, 
maybe throws in a 360 or two on 
the way down, and rides back 
across the bowl to do it again. 

No doubt about it—the guy's 


got control. 
CINDY BERRYMAN-® 





twotiea ta the beginner's bowl. 
wit Ae 


hy 














Waldo 
Autry 


19 years old, rides 
for the Gordon & Smith 
Fibreflex Team. 


When skateboarders ask if 
Donald “Waldo” Kevin Autry is for 
real, it has nothing to do with his 
unusual nickname or even his April 
Fools’ birthday. Waldo is one of a 
breed of skaters whose speciality 
is steep banks and vertical walls, 
any many photographers and top 
riders regard him as the most out- 
rageous on such inclines—if not 
the very best. 

In late November, when surf/ 
skate photographer James 
Cassimus set up a pool duel in 
North Long Beach, pitting remark- 
able Kenny Means against all 
comers, Waldo put in a performance 
worthy of his growing reputation. 
A generally quiet type, despite his 
hand-painted tee shirt, Waldo’s 
tile rides were very loud that day, 
often kick turning at the top of the 
tile, his back wheels running 
precariously along the overhanging 
lip. Since the 9-foot-deep pool is 
not far from his Long Beach home, 
he has continued to ride it “more 
or less as a ritual” most every day, 
with his abilities growing com- 
mensurately. He’s been known to 
“shoot the steps” along the top of 
the deep end-and make it. More 
often though, he prefers to milk 
each run, hitting tiles three times 
(above the light, to right side, to 
left side), then sliding around 240 
degrees in the bowl and flying back 
up into the shallow end to cap it off 
with a few 360's. 

What is most notable about 
Waldo’s pool riding, however, is his 
technique, something he picked 
up from his friend and partner (they 
make skateboards together), Perry 
Vance. Waldo explains, “When you 


Intense facial expressions out on the flat. 


hit it straight into the bowl, right 
beside the drain and then right 
beside the light, you’re automatically 
going to turn when you get to the 
top; the skateboard will follow the 
curve of the pool (when the kick 
turn is employed). 

“My partner started out riding 
that way and | was amazed. He’d 
hardly been riding skateboards 
before, and he walked into this pool 
and was hitting tiles first day.” So 
Waldo, a more experienced skater, 
figured he would do the same, only 
to suffer a sprained ankle on his 
first attempt. Three weeks later, his 
ankle almost back to normal, Waldo 
tried it again and completed his 
first tile ride before the day's end. 

Waldo admits that, surprisingly, 
the sprained ankle has been his 
worst accident to date, and con- 
tinues, “I've done some crazy 
things in my two years of skate- 
boarding.’ For instance, a 
competent speed skater, he once 
speared steep Signal Hill in Long 
Beach on a 32-inch Waldo proto- 
type, hitting between 45 and 
50 m.p.h. 

But despite his stories of “past” 
radicalness (as though it’s all 
behind him now) at such places 
as the L.A. River, Vermont and the 
L.A. bowls, it’s hard to believe that 
his attitude toward riding has 
mellowed in the least. In fact, it 
would seem the very opposite to 


anyone who's had the chance to 
watch him ride the Mt. Baldy 
Pipeline, using his straighter 
trajectories and backside and 
frontside kick turns to achieve 
phenomenal height. On his fourth 
trip to the Pipeline, Scott Dittrich 
filmed him hitting three-fourths up 
the 15-foot cylindrical cement pipe, 
then emerging into the sunlight 
and riding back and forth on the 
outside wall, making it look like 
child's play. 

Many less committed skate- 
boarders say that Waldo must be 
insane, openly criticizing him for 
the maneuvers he attempts (Such 
as handstands on banks), despite 
the fact that he usually pulls them 
off. He feels confident, though, in 
the slight kicktail board he rides 
and in his ability to handle critical 
situations. “| took judo for quite 
a while,” he admits. “I'd say that 
(learning falling technique) saved 
my life on some hairy falls.” 

And there's one more thing that 
Waldo claims gives him added 
confidence: “My Army War Surplus 
tennis shoes have the best grip 
out of all the tennis shoes I’ve ever 
tried!” And that’s some testimonial 
coming from a guy who spends 
as much time as he does exploring 
personal possibilities and hard 
realities on steep banks, vertical 
walls and inverted inclines. 





BRIAN GILLOGLY-® 


103 





20 years old, rides 
for Val Surf 


Gusty winds still carry dirt and 
dust across an open field in 
Gardena, California, depositing 
a spotty brown film on the banks 
of a descending storm drain 
access road, known to hundreds 
of skateboarders as the Vermont 
Drop or the Funnel. Before its 
ultimate defacement last summer 
(speed bumps were put in), they'd 
come to test their mettle, and their 
new urethane wheels, criss- 
crossing tracks across the banks, 
broken only by spins, slides 
and spills. 

On occasion, one particular 
rider, slight in build and height, 
with long, straggly, sun-bleached 
hair, would show up, inconspicuous 
except for a pair of shoe skates 
flung over his shoulder. But as he 





Kenny Means...equally adept with both 


mediums. 


It seemed as if the Reservoir was designed 
for Kenny, as perpetual motion is his forte. 





tril, 


104 





climbed the fence and surveyed 
the situation while lacing-up, eyes 
would begin to focus his direction 
until, next in line to make the drop, 
he commanded everyone's 
complete attention. 

Then, running hard on the front 
of his skates, he'd take the first 
bank with maybe twice the speed 
of anyone else, burning onto the 
opposite bank with a dust trail 
behind that could almost be 
mistaken for smoke. Further down 
the Drop, side-skating (toes 180 
degrees apart) onto the highest 
rideable section, he’d touch his 
gloves down while power-sliding 
and spinning a full circle, legs 
bending flexibly, independently 
conforming to the slope as he 
swung around. And, as he con- 
tinued to the bottom and dis- 
appeared around the curve into 
the huge storm drain, one could 
inevitably overhear some longtime 
local explain the sight to amazed 
visitors: “Oh, that’s just Kenny 
Means. He does that all the time!” 

And so it is that Vermont is gone 
but Kenny Means is bigger than 
ever. Kenny claims he doesn't 
even miss his former proving 
ground: “The bottom was too 
gnarly where the floor meets the 
banks. | prefer it rounded, like 
Escondido (the Reservoir) or the 
Pipeline.” He explains that 
especially riding the latter spot, 
an inclined, 15-foot high cement 
drainage pipe in the mountains 
east of L.A., his style has smoothed 
out, rhythmically rocking up the 











eT) Y 





sides “until you can’t go any higher.” 
Kenny also regularly defies gravity 
at an old, vacant pool in Long 
Beach, utilizing a wide side-skating 
stance, with his two years of surfing 
apparent in arm placement. 

A style-conscious skater, 
Kenny’s technique evolved from 
six years of rink skating, where 
he concentrated on speed rather 
than tricks. (He’s been clocked 
twice at 50 and 55 m.p.h. 
downhill.) Side-skating was just 
another type ‘of riding he picked 
up during that time, although he’s 
found the stability it offers essential 
for fast, maneuverable bank 
skating. Ultimately, Kenny has 
more control on a bank than any 
skateboarder could, “because my 
skates come with me (whereas) 
a skateboard sometimes tends to 
want to go somewhere else.” For 
example, when he first started 
riding banks two years ago, Kenny 
always took the precaution of 
wearing a helmet, gloves and pads. 
These days it’s usually shorts and 
a sweat shirt. He rarely falls. 

Although Kenny would, admit- 
tedly, rather surf than skate, his 
continued interest in bank skating 
is apparent if only in the price he 
pays for his skates. “You can get 
them with precision bearings,” he 
relates, “but mine are free-ball and 
retail for around $126.00. They 
can go much higher, though.” He 
explains further that most of the 
cost is in the boot, which is ex- 
tremely well made. The frame 










Full style jam...the hard way. 


sufficient strength even for banks 
(I've never bent an axle!”). And 
presently, Kenny is looking forward 
to trying some small, wide Road 
Riders, in that he likes to maintain 
a low center of gravity while 
traveling at high speeds. 

» Kenny’s talent is the kind of thing 
that must be seen to be believed; 
and, thus, a number of skateboard 
and surf filmmakers have sought 
to include him in their current 
productions. He hopes this up- 
coming exposure will incline 
certain manufacturers to defray 
the cost of his equipment (plus 
something extra?). At present, he 
is under contract to Scott Dittrich 
Productions, in whose feature- 
length skateboard film he will own 
a small percentage. 

Kenny would also appreciate 
the chance to ride the many good 
spots he's only heard rumors about. 
“I'd definitely like to skate ‘Wallos’ 
in Hawaii,” he states, although 
there’s probably some thought of 
surfing in the back of his mind. 
But even if nothing comes through 
this summer, Kenny will have 
no regrets. 

“| don’t know why | skate...| 
guess | just like it. I’m not even sure 
why | got into it in the first place. 
But I'm glad | still skate.’ And then 
he adds what one who's never 
been in a pair of shoe skates (let 
alone ridden them on a bank) can 
only surmise from watching the 
master in action—“It’s fun!” And 
that’s certainly reason enough. 


BRIAN GILLOGLY “® 











Heel-to-toe cornering. 


th we 








Mark 
Bowden 


19 years old, rides for 
California Freeformer 


Mark Bowden is rapidly emerging 
as a skateboarder par excellence. His 
bowl riding is becoming legend, as he 
combines skillful freestyle movements 
with an intriguing, fast-moving style. 

More and more, as skateboarders 
continue to develop new tricks, style 
has become a distinguishing factor, 
and Mark is having no trouble 
establishing himself in this aspect. 

His early influence with style was 
brought about through his involvement 
with the surfing world. At an early age, 
he thought the ultimate thrill would be 
to ride a concrete wave. The 19-year-old 
skater feels surfing is the basis for his 
current freestyle approach to bowl 


riding, and with his certain finesse 

and proper balancing of arms, hands 
and legs, he creates quite an impressive 
routine, whether on concrete or water. 

Mark has been around the skate- 
boarding scene dating back to what 
Bruce Logan terms the second 
generation of skating (circa 1969, 
1st generation steel, 2nd clay, 3rd 
urethane). 

Mark and his close skating partner 
Ty Page have been friends since early 
childhood, and have gone through 
many of life’s awakenings together. 
Consequently, they have had a strong 
influence on each other. At the early 
age of 10, they would be skating from 
Hermosa to Palos Verdes (approximately 
eight miles each way) on weekends. 
As they progressed, they would get 
into racing cars up and down some 
pretty heavy hills, many times reaching 
bottom with cracked, molten wheels. 

Elaborating a little on their passage 
through the clay-wheel era, there's a 
few stories about how they would do 
20-foot slides on the bigger bank at 
Paul Revere. They would slide from 
the top of the bank to the bottom, 
where their wheels would be branded 
with flat spots. By the end of the day, 
the beat-up wheels would seemingly 
talk to them as they'd roll home. 

Over the years, Mark and Ty have 
skated some of the finer concrete 
skating areas Southern California has 
to offer. Some of Mark's favorite spots 
include Paul Revere, Ballagio, Toilet 


Pinpoint wheelie control. 


te 
A full repertoire of stylish variations. 





106 





Bowl, Tunnel, Viper Bowl and Blood 
Hill. It might be noted here that when 
“da boys” get together and ride a 
place, they usually leave most onlookers 
with a little new food for thought, as 
well as a whole repertoire of new 
tricks to explore. 

Aside from becoming one of the 
finer bowl riders around now, his 
reputation in freestyle contests, speed 
racing, and slalom racing is growing 
rapidly. 

Currently, Mark is putting together 
a team for a company that has 
acquired his talents. The Bo, as some 
of his friends call him, is presently 
involved in promoting skateboard 
safety. He feels that everyone should 
practice rolling so that when falls 
occur, they won't suffer any serious 
injuries. Along this line Mark also 
suggests that beginners start out by 
learning how to get their balance 
together on flat ground, before getting 
involved with sloped walls. 

Cross-country tours have been 
keeping Mark busy this winter, and 
people come by the hundreds to his 
freestyle demonstrations. It seems 
people are eager everywhere to get 
a glimpse of an exciting wonder roller. 

Looking ahead, Mark feels that the 

_future of skateboarding as a bona fide 
sport is inevitable, due to the continuing 
innovations in equipment, as well as 
continually maturing professional 
attitudes. While your friend is at the bottom of the hill, his car becomes an instant launching platform. 


GARY COCCARO’ ® 








Relaxed, full-tilt bowl boogie. 


107 





Numerous flights through the Pipeline have given 


Kevin the confidence to regularly thrust halfway 
up and higher. Photo: Bob Moore. 


Pushing the potential of his 36” bank iden ‘Kevin Range up : a » bit longer, both inside the Pipe and out on the vertical Wale Photo: Bob Moore. 


108 





Kevin 


Anderson 


20 years old, rides for 
ET Surfboards 


“Skateboarding’s just to take the 
place of surfing for me. There 
really isn’t that much more to do 
around here than skateboard, surf, 
and-” he laughs, “chase women!” 

South Bay’s Kevin Anderson is 
an accomplished surfer, possibly 
a lady's man, but he certainly isn't 
a casual skater, as his above 
statement implies. In fact, Kevin 
might be considered just the 
opposite, taking into account the 
degree of his involvement in the sport 
during the last two years. He not 
only has been making skateboards 
for a living since 1974, but more 
recently has been working on a 


Cha fs ; ” oe hs 


ON ne Ree 


Super 8 skateboardirig film and 
an unusual skate park design. And 


then there’s his often unpre- 


dictable, always hot, bank riding. 

As expected, Kevin's skate- 
boarding bears a strong surfing 
influence. And because he is a 
Hermosa Beach local, that pre- 
dominately old school, upright 
style of surfing is reflected in his 
skating, especially his steep bank 
kick turns—body fully extended, 
with arms directing a delicate 
balance. 

Kevin is better known, however, 
for lightning fast backside and 
frontside sliders, although “the 
slide” seems more of an affectation 
of surfing than the kick turn. Still,. 
Kevin manages to give his sliders 
a classy look, maintaining a 
somewhat spread out style, 
whether pivoting on one hand 
backside, two hands frontside, or 
no hands, as in the case of his 
stand-up sliders (“they save the 
wrists a bit”). At LA’s Mini Bowl 
and at Vermont, his quick, gutsy 
moves and multidirectional 
versatility made him an object of 
adulation and imitation for aspiring 
skate jockeys. 

Reportedly, Kevin actually 
helped pioneer the Vermont Drop 
over three-and-a-half years ago, 
having been early on appreciating 


uy 
y 











it because “it was the only place 
in the area where | could carry 
on a full run.” When Vermont was 
closed, he moved on to The Bowls, 
missing the Toilet Bowl by just a 
few weeks, but getting in a few 
choice days at the huge, newly 
constructed Super Bowl before - 
it ultimately suffered the same fate. 

These days, Kevin relives some 
of those hairy runs while reviewing 
Super 8 footage taken by his 
filming partner, the often eccentric 
Bob Moore. Featuring vintage 
footage of Vermont and The 
Bowls, the film will tour the surf 
film circuit around the beginning 
of summer, while Kevin and Bob 
also will continue to promote a 
skate park:design which they have 
developed from an original 
concept of Kevin's. (As of this 
writing, the blueprints are being 
drawn up, with further explanation 
to be provided at a later date.) 

Kevin feels that both his film 
and park will be timely, due to the 
closure of the majority of L.A’s 
favorite skate spots. This situation 
has also put a damper on his 
riding, which of late has been 
limited to less spectacular spots 
in the South Bay and, only 
occasionally, excursions to the 
amazing Mt. Baldy Pipeline. 

Kevin describes the experience 


of riding “the Cylinder” (as the 
Pipeline is sometimes called) as 
“a total rush,’ despite the fact that 
his stiff, wooden three-foot board 
was designed for other types of 
inclines. He explaines: “Waldo has 
a flexer and he can really pump 
in the place. My board was made 
for banks... guess | never ex- 
pected something to come along 
like the Cylinder!” Yet, Kevin still 
hits well past the halfway mark in 
the Pipe on his frontside, calling 

it “the closest you can get to surfing 
of any sport | know.” 

Kevin also confides that he 
used to ride a smaller cylinder four 
years ago in Lawndale, just a few 
miles away from his present home: 
“Back then it was rock wheels, 
and the place was dark—a rush 
just to be in there!” But he hadn't 
been surfing long then and only 
got into bank riding shortly there- 
after. Yet in the intervening years, 
Kevin has been able to infuse his 
skateboarding with a classic, surf 
feeling, a philosophy which 
stresses grace under pressure and 
stylish technique. In fact, his 
skating’s been like that for quite 
a while now-ever since the 
heyday of Vermont, when for 
Kevin, as for many of L.A’s hottest 
skaters, it all came together. 


BRIAN GILLOGLY ~“® 





Kevin's six years of skating and five of surfing 
have evolved a unique and sophisticated style, 
which came to fruition on the steep, wide banks 
of Vermont. Photo: Bob Moore. 


Cutting loose at Carlsbad. 





109 


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(213) 941-3025 


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More than a skateboard wrench, rather a complete truck 
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NEW 





In the recent past, concern for skateboard maneuverability 
and, more precisely, increasing turning radius, has focused 
on truck design. A prime mover in this direction has been 
Ron Bennett with his Hijacker Trucks. 

Now, a San Diego-based manufacturer has come up with 
a simplistic approach to sharper turning, coupled with the 
stability advantages of the shock-absorbing pad. Rad Pads 
("Rad” for radical turning?), as they are called, are scientifically 
designed rubber wedges which can be positioned on the 
board with either both low edges facing forward or turned in 
opposite directions. The latter placement is recommended only 
for low-speed hotdogging with 2” wheels, although leading 
Rad Pad advocate Chris Yandall has been using his trackers 
and 2” Rolls Royce Water Drops mounted in this way for 
high-speed slalom and bowl riding, and has yet to realize 
any limitations. The low edges forward placement is the 
more stable of the two, and may be mounted with wheels 
of any size. 

Ed Talbot and Company of the South Bay are making 
allowances for overstimulated cement soulfulness and 
safety in general, with a new product: Power Gloves. As far 
as we know, this is the first attempt at designing a long-wearing, 
padded glove specifically for skateboarding. Input from such 
notables as Kevin Anderson and Bob Moore has identified 
sensitive and heavily exposed areas of the hand, leading 
to a glove with up to two layers of leather padding in the 
fingers and a triple layer-(leather combined with foam) 
across the lower palm. The Power Glove will be the first in 
a series of safety-oriented skating equipment by the E.T. 
Company (reportedly, a lightweight helmet is in the making). 
Looks like a conscientious and positive effort in an area 
which has been too long overlooked. 


FOOT-TRED - 


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SKATEBOARDERS CAN ORDER BY MAIL 
Immediate Delivery, Instructions Included 


NAME 
ADDRESS 
CITY, STATE, ZIP 


SiZE COLOR PRICE EACH QUANTITY 
A. 3x4 Patch Pack includes three 3” x 4" patches (36” sq. total) 

Black $1.20 per package 
Red 1.30 per package 

. 1x 12 Strip Pack includes three 1" x 12” strips (36” sq. total) 
Black $1.20 per package 
Red 1.30 per package 

. 2% x 2% Patch Pack includes sin 2%" x 24" patches (37'%" sq. total) 
Black $1.20 per package 
Red 1.30 per package 

. 4x5 Patch Pack includes two 4" x 5” patches (40” sq. total) 
Black $1.25 per package 
Red 1.35 per package 

. 3% x 4% Oval Pack includes three 3%” x 4%" ovals (appx. 40” sq. total) 
Black $1.30 per package 
Red 1.40 per package 

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Black $1.40 per package 
Red 1.50 per package 

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Black $2.50 per package 
Red 2.70 per package 


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MOVE OVER 
“SKATER DATER” 

This will be a rather tasteful summer 
for the skate enthusiast with a celluloid 
appetite, as there will be plenty of 
fine film fare available. “Spinnin’ 
Wheels,’ the Carmichael documentary 
laced with humor, good sounds and 
surf, is out and running the auditorium 
circuit in California, with theater 
engagements upcoming. Scott 
Dittrich’s “Freewheelin’” which will 
blend a variety of skate talents and 
locales into a story line, is nearing 
completion, and the photography and 
editing is looking high quality. Dittrich 
captures the amazing Waldo in nearly 
inverted flight at the Mt. Baldy Pipeline, 
as does Bud Browne's “Going Surfing.” 
Reliable sources say this recent 
vintage Browne classic, now en- 
hanced with some up-to-date skating, 
is funnier than ever. And reportedly, 
surf journalist extraordinaire Drew 
Kampion has been seen hanging out 
with the Mac-Free film crew, since 
he will be applying his cosmically 
creative juices to the “Five Summer 
Stories” skate sequence...Could be a 
heavy 15 minutes. 

For entry under “better late than 
never,” the San Diego World Contest 
of last September 7, is, alas, scheduled 
to be shown May 1st on CBS...The 
sport will receive further media 
exposure in mid-April when Grentec 
will run the first nationally televised 
skateboard commercial (40 markets 
for six weeks). An effective piece of 
advertising, the 30-second spot jazzed 
California audiences last summer, 
featuring the original kinetic kid, Russ 
Howell. (To be fair to all parties, Russ, 
who just returned from Australia, has 
been a free agent for the last six 
months.) 


118 


BIG WHEELS 


Jack Dimon, Competition Director 
of the Skateboard Racers Association, 
has been devoting Sundays lately, to 
a festival-like racing event which has 
sprung up spontaneously on a hill 
within the newly opened White's 
Point Park in San Pedro. The races are 
locally oriented, although Guy Grundy 
of Huntington and Danny Bearer of 
Pacific Palisades were spotted 
running the cones at a recent 
contest...Jack is currently setting up 
an advisory council representing the 
skateboard industry and various 
community groups, in an attempt to 
define local skateboarding problems 
and, eventually, build a skate park at 
White's Point. Together with the SRA, 
he is offering this service to other cities 
so that they too may deal realistically 
with the reality of skateboarding. 

Jack and the SRA will also soon be 
making available to parks and rec- 
reational departments, a compre- 
hensive manual dealing with skate 
contest procedures and clinics. The 
document is in response to an ex- 
pressed need of many parks directors 
with whom the SRA has communi- 
cated, and combines policies and 
procedures worked out in over nine 
months of contests and programs. 
This past fall and winter, the SRA is 
credited with organizing successful, 
smoothly-run contests in Glendale, 
Burbank and Santa Monica. 





NEW LAW VS. 
NEW FACTS 


Both Grentec and the SRA have 
brought to our attention the latest 
U.S. Consumer Product Safety 
Commission's findings on skateboard 
injuries. The CPSC’s National 
Electronic Injury Surveillance System 
ranks “skates, skateboards and 
scooters” at 2.806, or 25th in terms 
of number and severity of accidents, 
on a comparative basis with such 
products as “bicycles and bicycle 
equipment” at 30.584, or ist, and 
“beds, inc. springs, frames, bunk beds 
and unspecified beds” at 7.206, or 8th. 
Moreover, William P. Tully of the 
Southern California Permanente 
Medical Group explains, “It seemed 
that most of the (skateboard) injuries 
that we saw were fractures of the 
forearm, and were usually of a nature 
that were not serious’ 

But despite these findings, there is 
a bill now in the California Legislature 
to allow local municipalities to “legally” 
ban skateboarding on public streets. 
(Public streets come under the 
jurisdiction of the state Vehicle Code 
which contains no provision to ban 
skateboard traffic.) Such a law could 
conceivably be misused by those 
misguided local politicians who still 
consider skateboarding inherently 
unsafe —despite evidence to the 
contrary. Californians, write your 
state legislators! 


The innovating Ron Bennett, not to be outdone by the competition, was seen dancing in the street at 


the recent Ventura Contest, while excitedly ushering in his new skate team-“The Hijackers.’ Needless 


to say, it was an intimidating sight. 


LOOK AND YE 
SHALL FIND 


Skate-stoked photographer James 
Cassimus (winner of the first White's 
Point Race, March 13, and a total 
purse of seven bucks), when not 
shooting or riding, is usually out and 
about L.A. County, chasing down 
vacant pools and empty drainage 
ditches. Jim reports that he’s found 
“another Vermont Drop,’ though he’s 
not saying where exactly. We await 
the evidence... 

Touring the U.S. from Oregon to 
Florida, giving demonstrations and 
talks, downhill stylist Denis Shufeldt 
relates the following discovery: 
“Driving across the Southern U.S.A., 
the best place | saw to skate was off 
the side of the highway (Interstate 10). 
Unreal! Like the La Jolla Pipeline but 
smoother, longer (200 yards long) 
and about one every 3 to 5 miles. 
Fantastic, no one there but me.’ 

Pete Panagiotis of New York says 
he’s come across a hot late-night run 
in the guise of an underground 
garage on Manhattan's classy 
Eastside. Meanwhile, from San Diego, 
C. J. Brown writes of an ominous 


looking spot called the Charcoal Bowl. 
Originally an enclosed, city reservoir, 
the empty Bowl now accommodates 
skateboarders willing to put up with 
the black dust and sagging roof to 
cruise in the “eternal twilight” below. 


SKATING AROUND 
Masahiko Kito of “The Surf” Surf Shop, 
Tokyo, Japan, writes in that his No. 1 
rider, National Champion Aki (Who's 
Hot Vol. 2, No. 4), is getting a strong 
challenge for his title from 15-year-old 
hot stuff Akihiko Takeuchi. This young 
newcomer will be the top contender 
in the Japanese National Champion- 
ships this summer...Agile Steve Cathey 
is reported to have become “the first 
skateboarder to skate at 20,000 
feet,’ whipping down the center isle of 
a 727 at the request of interested 
airline personnel while on a return 
flight from a promo trip to Canada. 


Dave Mclintyre offers the following 
flash: “The Pacific Skateboard 
Association was founded on March 4, 
1976, by Gordon & Smith, Bahne, 
Logan, Turner, Tracker Trucks and 
U.S. Products/Ty Page Skateboards... 
The basic goals of this group will be 


to promote and organize both amateur 
and professional contests, to 
demonsirate skating and safety 
equipment and to develop a public 
relations program which will protect 
and stabilize this sport for both the 
industry and the average street skater.” 
Demetree Weathers, a Realto, 
California, jr. high math teacher and 
grandmother of seven, has received 
local planning commission approval 
for the construction of a skateboard 
track which she is developing. The 
copyrighted design calls for three 
roller coaster-like tracks emptying into 
bowls. Tentative completion date is 
May 31...And for those who will be 
passing through North San Diego 
County in the near future, definitely 
check out the Carlsbad Skatepark 
(adjacent to Carlsbad Raceway). The 
sessions (each 2% hrs. in length) 
run from 9 am.-5:00 p.m.; at $2.25 
per session, and mandatory safety 
equipment—helmet, gloves, shoes 
and pads-—is available at a rental 
charge of 75¢ or 25¢ per item. Save 
them centavos, hop in your cherry 
short and come prepared for a 
surreal stoker! 





[ 





Ever wonder if 


pe 


the skater sometimes misses at those wide-angle photo sessions? (above) Even the most precise make mistakes occasionally, as 





W. B. found out, receiving a pointed missile in the chest from a falling Neil Graham. Skitch Hitchcock (below) has solved the problem of disappearing 
skate spots: make your own. A little fiberglass and imagination will go a long way. Named “The Wave,” for obvious reasons, Skitch carts it around in a 





rental truck for now. What you see above is only the early prototype. 





fe ee 


Watch for more on “The Wave" next issue. 


ooops oe 





it’s Your Magazine. 


SKATEBOARDER is a fairly new magazine; it's also the 
only publication directed specifically towards the sport of 
skateboarding. Our magazine can be successful only if it 
fills the needs and reflects the interests of our readers, 
so we want to get to know you. We need information about 
you as an individual, and about your likes and dislikes. 
We also want to know about your hobbies and interests. 
Let us know what you want to see in SKATEBOARDER: 
We're interested in your suggestions. Help us keep in touch 
with you; after all, it's your magazine. 


Please answer the following questions: 
Rank (1-10).each of the following sections of SKATE- 
BOARDER iin order of your preference: 
Skate Post 
Skate Tips 
Who's Hot 
New Products 
Interview: 
SRA Report 
Skate Safe 
Off The Wall 
Advertisements 
Focus 
2. Which would you like to see more of in SKATEBOARDER? 
Photographs, radical terrains, speed skating, tips, 
technical information, new: products’ descriptions, 
interviews. (circle 3). 
3. Where did you first hear about SKATEBOARDER? 
Friend, newsstand, doctor or dentist office, other 


i 
































4. Are you a subscriber to SKATEBOARDER? Yes UO) NoO 
5. What is your age? 
6. What is your sex? M or F (circle one). 
7, What is your occupation? Student, professional, sales, 
clerical, etc. 
8, What sports (other than skateboarding) do you 
participate in? Surfing, skin or scuba diving, bike riding, 
backpacking, skiing, hang gliding, motor sports, 
other ~~. (circle where appropriate). 
9, Where do you live? Northwest, Southwest, Rocky 
Mountains, Central U.S.A., Northeast, Southeast, Foreign 
Country? (circle one): 
10. Do you rent or own your own home? (circle one). 
11. What is your family income? Under $7,000 per year, 
7,000 to 15,000, 15,000 to 25,000, over 25,000, (circle one). 
12. What is the market value.of your home? Under $30,000, 
30,000 to 45,000,.45,000 to 70,000, over 70,000. 
(circle one). 








13. How many people are in your family? 

14, Do you own a car? Yes O - No O 

15. How many times do you refer to each copy. of 
SKATEBOARDER? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 more 
(circle one). 

16. How many friends read your copy of SKATEBOARDER? 





17. How long have you been skateboarding? —_____— 
18. Did you ever design or builda board? Yes O No O 
19, How many boards do you own? 
20.Where did you buy your last board? Department store, 
sporting goods store, bicycle shop, surf shop, mail 
order, friend (circle one). 
94, How much did you spend on it? 
A. Purchase price: under $15; 15 to 30; 30 to 50; 
over 50° (circle one). 
B. Modification (new wheels, trucks, etc.): under $5; 
5 to 10; 10 to 20: over 20. (circle one). 
22. Do the advertisements in SKATEBOARDER influence 
what you purchase? Yes L) No O 
23, How much do you spend each year on items advertised 
in SKATEBOARDER (such as boards, accessories, 
clothes, etc.)? under $10; 10 to 25; 25 to 50; over 50 


(circle one). 
24, What can you suggest to make SKATEBOARDER more 


interesting for you? 

















Tear off page and use the handy subscription envelope 
to return to; Skateboarder Magazine 
P.O. Box 1028 
Dana Point, CA 92629 
Thank you for your help! 


SKATEBOARD SHOCKERS: FOR QUICK TURNS, STOPS NOISE AND VIBRATION. 


SKATEBOARDS 

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URETHANE FOR TRUENESS AND GRIP. 


POWER GLOVES: FOR CONCRETE COMFORT 
POWER GLOVES CAN BE ORDERED BY MAIL (CA RESIDENTS ADD 6% SALES TAX) Sugg. Retail — $15.95 


SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO: 
E. T. CO., 916-E AVIATION BLVD., HERMOSA BEACH, CA 90254 


SUPER SURFACE: A NON-SLIP MATERIAL FOR SKATEBOARDING PERFORM- 
ANCE AND SAFETY. CIRCLES, STRIPS, AND SQUARES WITH SUPER ADHESIVE 


STRENGTH. Sugg. Retail — 30c ea. 
Dealers, Distributors, Sales Reps., Inquiries Invited. Contact... 


@PO INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTORS, INC. 


236 MANHATTAN AVE., SUITE #4, HERMOSA BEACH, CA 90254 
TELEPHONE: (213) 374-0472 





WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF 
SKATEBOARD SAVINGS 


Please complete the itemized list below and order your skateboard needs direct and save! 
































Quantity Item Suggested Retail Your Cost Amount 
X-Caliber Trucks $5.00 each $3.75 each 
} — Chicago Trucks $6.00 each $4.50 each 
Brewer Trucks $6.00 each $4.50 each 
} — Bennett Trucks $9.00 each $7.50 each 
California Slalom Trucks $8.00 each $6.00 each 
Tracker Trucks 








$5.00 each 


California slalom wheels 
Road Rider #2 wheels 
Road Rider #4 wheels 


Banzai Speed Seal Wheels 
Logan Earth Ski Wood Skateboard 






$7.50 each 





$4.75 each 

































































Standard 25 Kicktail 27 Specify $19.85 each $14.75 each 
Hand laid up fiberglass kick ; 
fiberglass top multi color 
drilled for X-caliber truck $17.00 each $11.50 each 
Banzai anodized top kick 
nose kick tail 7 colors 
Red, blue, black, silver, gree.., 
purple, gold, drilled X-caliber $19.00 each $13.50 each 
Banzai polished top kicktail 
kick nose same 7 colors as above 
drilled X-caliber trucks $22.00 each $16.50 each 
Kicktail plastic top skateboard 
wide wheels, names may vary $24.95 each $16.95 each 
Hand layed up fiberglass kick 
tail Skateboard wide wheels $34.95 each $22.95 each 
AMPL fiberglass standard top 
24” skateboard wide wheels $29.95 each $19.95 each 
AMPL fiberglass standard top 
24” screened Hawaiian pattern 
wide wheels $34.95 each $22.95 each 
Banzai anodized top kick 
tail kick nose 7 colors 
same as tops above wide wheels $34.95 each $26.95 each 
Banzai polished top kick nose 
kick tail 7 colors same as above 

: tops wide wheels $37.95 each $29.95 each 
Shock pads with hardware 4” $2.50 pr. $2.00 pr. 
Shock pads with hardware 12” $3.50 pr. $3.00 pr. 
Shock pads w/out hardware 4” $1.00 pr. $ .50 pr. 

Sub Total 
Postage Handling $2.00 
Texas Residents add 5% tax 


Total 
Money orders or cashiers checks only 


Mail your order today to: 
Skate Board Shopper 


1418 Spencer Highway, Suite M 
South Houston, Texas 77587 








BALLAD THROUGH THE BADLANDS 
DISCLAIMER 


We knew we shouldn't have done it, but alas, it's too late close it down, giving citations to all those with skateboards 
to turn back now. You see, our error was in letting ‘the cat out (Ty Page wisely threw his away). 
of the bag” (so to speak) —and ourselves into one. We So here we sit, deadlines long since past, stewing over 
should've known that taking the Mellow Cat on a “field trip” this weirdest of weird piece of Pipeline graffiti. We tried to 
(as he calls it) could be disastrous. Now he’s come up with ignore it and throw it away when the Mellow Cat wasn't 
an article to end all articles, if not the magazine. So here looking, only to find that the damn fool had mimeographed 


he sits, waiting patiently for the Pulitzer Prize Committee multiple copies for just such an occasion. We thought you 
to recommend him for an award for literature. Specifically, might find it interesting to hear some of the Staff comments 
he told us he'd take it to a higher court if we didn’t run it | upon reading it (they may be the only facts you read). 
The Cat never did deal with reality too well. If this article “I'm leaving."—Paul Gross. 
doesn't work, the Cat better have the proverbial nine lives. “How safe do you want to be?”—Steve Pezman. 

Actually, the Mt. Baldy Pipeline, scene of our error, was “What | can’t understand is frightening."-Don Thomas. 
the site for the heaviest skateboarding to ever take place; Read on fair reader—the worst has just begun. 


that is until the police arrived in cars and helicopters to finally —WB. 


by MELLOW CAT 


Between the coastal range and the 
beach and the sea, lie the foothills and 
sloping plateau land. These land lines 
are always tranquilizing, but only 
functional as a motivating medium 
when concreted. This never occurred 
to the indigenous Indians, who, 
although fully appreciating their rare 

California scene, had not yet 

a my developed an appreciation of urethane. 
Loe When the Spanish and later visitors 
moved in, it was found that during 
rainy years, floods would wash out the 
valleys between the aforementioned 
foothills and plateau land, depositing 
an abundance of water and mud in 
everyone's yards. Householders found 
this to be a sure drag, and requested 
dams to check this situation. One of 
these earthen dams has a totally 
enclosed circular spillway that runs 
downhill from deep inside the very 
bowels of the dam itself. Muckus calls 





this place the Mt. Baldy Pipeline, and 
yy y he’s been down the line so many 
aA hg pao) Kem laa ess 





123 


Miguel Munoz, well above the halfway seam. 





The generally accepted discovery 
date for this rare tunnel occurs some- 
where in 1969, but rumors abound as 
to previous rides, even midnight 
attempts by famed Muckus himself, 
“going for it alone, all by myself stone 
always.” The basic vibe of the whole 
zone is of a high-energy arena sur- 
rounded by the other worldly terrain 
of high-walled troughs, double drain 
levels, and right beyond the Cosmetic 
Blade (much likened to the historical 
Occams Razor) lurks the Big Daddy 
of Blades with a “body blow to lay 
them low,” complete with “intense mud” 
following “arrowing impalement” by 
any loose skateboard. You see, not 
only do riders jet out of the 200-yard- 
long tunnel of darkness and multi- 
phased cathedral echoes into direct 
sunlight and straight walls, but then 
face a gaping chasm less than twenty 
feet ahead, although true that the 
leading edge of the Cosmetic Blade 
is not a direct drop off, it is intimidating, 
especially if your skateboard doesn't 
feature sealed bearings, “cause that 
penetrating slime down there just 
ain't normal.” 

The access to this energy is 
achieved by knowledge, transportation 
and firm direction of flight (in that order). 
A bit of stealth can also be called for 
walking in past members of the power 
structure in their maintenance yards, 
but then it’s down through ever- 
thickening layers of smog, walking on 
potopods awaiting that electric touch 
of weightlessness, across the scrub, 
through a fence, into a drainage 
estuary and past the painted sign that 
reads, “Muckus welcomes you to a 
far-out time for free—-maybe.* 

One turn later and you're walking 
up a deep sluice channel that is 
immediately sussable as a terrifying 
one-way ticket back to the coast in the 
advent of any flukey breakdown, 
luckily despite the barbed wire and eS | 
“No skateboarding — subject to fine— ty ae A si 
U.S. Code 641” signs, the place seems Oey 
as welcomely mellow as Muckus has 
sung of in the graffiti ballads. 

There are several riding styles in 
evidence through the pipe. Fast, 


down-the-line, oscillating, ala Gregg , Peo i me Bh 
Weaver on his longboard, the radical / any) S| ye 

end game side-to-side approach by Fe 

Mike Weed, and the total radical 
wailing attack of Miguel Munoz, and 
the legendary Waldo, who is rumored 
to have attempted the full fifteen-foot 
el rollo. There is some evidence of 
skateboard lightness equating 
controllable height in the tube, because 
unlike pools where utilization of 
centripedal force is possible due to 
the smooth, concave curve of most 
deep ends, the pipeline has linear 





A relatively common sight-Waldo | 
peaking out on the wall. He can go | 
much higher (left and right). | __ 


125 






























sides, minimizing adhesion. Getting 
down off these sides even at the 
bottom can get a bit tacky at times, 
most riders bail with a slide, and a 
skate grab, an errored crash echoes 
like the end of the world to the waiting 
riders at the takeoff spot far up the tunnel. 
Solo or in pairs, these riders proceed 
to push away into a dark trajectory 
towards the open mouth glaring 
overexposed at the end of the ride. 
| admit the whole place flashes me 
out, but that’s what fosters soul, the 
soul that utters, “We're hung up on the 
Pipeline—we'll never get over it.” 
* Alas, the days of Muckus’ free rides 
are over—up to twenty wonder rollers 
a day have been arrested since this 
article was written. It's rumored some 
Leucadians will test their offenses 
in court, but as malpractice insurance 
escalates, so follows that of public 
and private sector liability, making it 
financially impossible for any munici- 
pality or government agency to 
assume any risk in a day of the “world 
owes me a living” quick suit. 


Waldo flashing on Mike Weed'’s stylish ; 
interpretation. j 







Skater’s eye view of the glare at the end of 
the tunnel, and the open chasm that wants 
to eat you. Mike Weed plots coordinates. 





126 





The crew (right) tunes up for the next assault. A 


flared time exposure (below) by photographer 
Larry Castruita captures the cosmic line. The 
amazing Waldo (far right) jumping off the pipe onto 
the flat wall. 








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cad 

The new Maxwell 24" Kiektail made of durable 
Ae ett eA Ccthom Vcr (etemersllel ge 


cae) 
The new Maxwell 24" mold injected polypropylene 
for durability, 


#9 
Complete line of UPG accessories akein packed 
or bulk. 

#10 

Maxwell nyglaea kick with Super Max Barrel. 
#14 

The 24" & 27! akateboard of Owens-Corning 
Molt MENLO nme (Ue! ell( tomo) ale Den 


ae) 
Kiektail with Barrela supplied by UPC, 


All wheela are mole injected 100% urethane. All Airflowa are Union patented, (LOGK for the Maxwell stan.) 
Maxwell Skateboards, one of many fine companies aupplied by Union Plaatice Corporation, 


DDbteicot MeN met kate. MET mnt Wo [at] 


Drawing by Joe Qouillard 








mer Oo ae 


re 





O.E.M. or distributor inquiries welcome. 


J. Maxwell Co. 
7119 Fair Avenue 
No. Hollywood, California 91605 
(213) 875-3777 


Calglide Board Corp., 310 Plymouth Ave., Brightwater, NY 11718 (516) 665-2948 


Birch Gun Beautifully finished 
arch with a shape designed by 
Dick Brewer Designed for all- 
around use, as well as slalom 
riding Available in 26° 297 and 32° 
[eine IAA k= 1.01=) 

Bore oA re aN Uaa al aa 
“Or effortles O's and space 


Freestyle 1 Hand laminated fiber- 
< with textured deck Mulfi- 
¢ > VY) f } 5 y 

n lerate flex, and comes in 
the popular 24°x6-1/4" size. All are 
standard with Brewer trucks and 
XK300 wheels. An excellent board 
for all-around skateboarding 

4 ee ‘arenes = 
i Bi 


Dick Brewer Skateboards 
PO » Box 3369 


IN Hawaii 
Dick Brewer Skateboards 
1732 Kapiolani Blvd 
4 Honolulu, Hl 96814 
BIRCH GUN oy (808) 941-4080 


Dealer Inquiries Invited. Write for a 
free brochure 


NATIONAL SKATEBOARD SHOW presents 


SKATEBOARDING 


Pel eee See ee eae 3k 
Performances 
By Some Of The Sports 
BIGGEST STARS 
TG Pe ee US Bee 


at the 
NASSAU COLISEUM, NEW YORK 


Saturday JUNE 19 & Sunday JUNE 20 


TICKETS $3, $4 & $5 
AT THE BOX OFFICE & TICKETRON 


NATIONAL SKATEBOARD SHOW, INC., 108-18 QUEENS BLVD., FOREST HILLS, N.Y. 11375, (212) 793-6403 


Q (ae Ore) Tan 


UME GUM cL hy Le eS UTS TNS if USED 





Freestyle Il Kicktail The Magician (double kick) 


The “SST” 


Canvas Tote Bag 


All boards made from hand-laminated fiberglass. Wheels made from poured urethane (not injected). 


Products of Sports West 
Wheel Sizes 


1%H4x1% 2X2 2WKBM% 


*Ereestyle Il Kicktail 24” $32.50 $39.95 $41.95 
*SST 24” 32.50 39.95 41.95 
*Magician 24" 32.50 39.95 41.95 
*Freestyle Ill 24” 32.50 39.95 41.95 

Freestyle wheels loose ball 2.50 4.00 5.00 

Freestyle wheels precision 4.70 6.30 7.30 
Canvas tote bag 24” or 27" $10.95 All prices are quoted for loose ball wheels; Suggested Retail 


add $10 for precision wheels. 


Send money orders only to: 
SPORTS WEST, 2702 Gountry Club, Stockton, CA 95204. (209) 464-2971. 
Add $1.00 for handling. California residents add 6% sales tax. Foreign orders payable with International Money Order only. 


Kids! Write in and find out about being on the Freestyle Skateboard team. 





Continental 


The Revolutionary Wide-Tracker Truck 


Offers the ultimate in traction-grip and performance. 


Precision engineered 


e Super-wide 6” axle guaranteed not to break 


e 5/16" diameter steel alloy axle 


All-steel alloy truck and hanger plate 


Interchangeable axle housing 
Maximum wheel track width 9” 


Long-wearing king pin spacers and pivot 


All Continental trucks and wheels come standard 
with sealed U.S. precision bearings. No more bearing 


loss or adjusting necessary. 





¢ Super-grip urethane 
° 2%" x 2%" wide 
¢« Sealed U.S. precision 


bearings 


Core pare Ma oar Mog pe] 
¢ Sealed U.S. made precision 
bearing 
¢ Dust and dirt resistant 
¢ Better weight distribution 
on 1-1-1 
¢ Fully guaranteed 















Continental Super-Wide Tracker Wheel 
¢ Ultra-sticky urethane 
¢ 2%" x 3" wide 
¢ Sealed U.S. precision 
bearings 


Continental’s New Surfer Model 

e 24" extruded fibergalss 

¢ 6” width 

« Sealed U.S. precision bearings standard 

¢ Sold exclusively by Jack 

¢ Chassis only or completed board available 


tL Oh ed of high-performance skateboards ed L Ret 





> Jaws Kick-tail 






Continental offers the best, most reasonable prices for quality merchandise and 
workmanship. Available at finer surf shops, department and sporting goods stores 
throughout the world. 

In the Southwest States, Continental Skateboards are available at all Globe 
Discount Cities. 


Jack cruising the Jaws Kick-tail model. 


Continental 
Skateboards 





4. Wide JAWS 


. Curved skid CRI aX ea 


1. Continental 


Continental 


12. Single truck 


9 
z yet 
truck and axle wheels and plate. earings. 
Pree eee Seen tes Pa eee ce a 1939 East Pomona 
. Continental . Riser shock board wrench. pin spacers and 
truck and wide POLI eG 9. Axles and nuts. Pyne § Santa Ana, CA fe 705 
withhardware. 


Se a al Phone (714) 547-7551 
truck and Con- 


tinental wheel 
TH 


Dealer Inquiries Welcome 


Dealers only write tor free catalogue and wholesale pricing information. 
All of the above accessories are shrink-packaged for easy point-of-purchase display,.and are 
shipped 24 units per case. Completed skateboards are shipped 6 or 12 per case. 


Look to Continental for new innovations 
in skateboard equipment. 


ai ae 

m All parts and accessories etc. 

mw World Wide a ale jer’ 

YOY Naw ena aeve| 

= TOTAL EAST COAST Pelee 


Photography: Mary Walsh, S rder: ae 
Full-Color 24 x 36 Beenie, ad 


KONA Skateboards, Inci, wy) W. Cedar Ave., eR reeeh N.J. 08260 (609) 522-7899 





GA ee ay pa er | ; 
The Greatest Innovation in Skateboards Since The Urethane Wheel. . 


oe a dn 








COMPLETE SS 
$2995 PREPAID 
$ 4G 95 TP ony 


i PLEASE SEND HOLE PATTERN 
CALIF. RESIDENTS SEND 6% SALES TAX 


_ ASSORTED COLORS 
- RARE 100% WARRANTY 
»; CUSTOM BAKED ON PATTERNS 
) 4 GENUINE CAST ACRYLIC (Not Laminated) 
ci Makes Pipp Boards Virtually Indestructable 
I S PIPP, TRUCKER TRUCKS — Fully Guaranteed 

> MEDIUM PEEXIBILITY — For Hot Dog or Slalom 

_- PIPP TRUCKER URETHANE WHEELS — All Contain a Precision 

Double-Bearing Race Assembly. Colored or Clear Urethane — Extra Wide! 
PIPP PRODUCTS 

; Consumer Division, Dept. A-676  220-D N. Cresent Way Anaheim, Calif. 92801 (714), 9975PIPP 


i ) PAST COAST INOUIRINS CONTAGT: LAGUNA ARTSLTD. 220-DN.Cresent Way Anaheim, CA) 9280) 
DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED 





Ampul Is Stil Th 


Special 


Packaged 24’’ SURFER photo pictorial board. 
$5.00/ea. 100—$4.00/ea. 1000—$3.00/ea. 





= er 
1 ee 








Multicolor blue 





Multicolor Red 
The USA 


Make Ampul your one-stop supplier. 


Special 
Packaged fully assembled trucks with urethane wheels complete 
with mounting hardware. Choice of ACS-430, X-Caliber, Precision, 





or Ultratruck. 


Hawaiian Orange $5.00/ea. 100—$4.00/ea. 1000—$3.00/ea. 


a Now from Ampul 
AGS 430, 500 & 650 trucks, X-Caliber, Precision, 


=_ Z and Ultratrucks with or without wheels assembled. 
’ Prices starting as low as $1.50 in quantity. 





Price Schedule 


A AMFLEX PULTRUDED FIBERGLASS 


The Standard Amflex. 


SKATEBOARD CHASSIS 

oe Nonskid textured deck. 
Unidirectional glass fibers glastruded under heat 
and pressure. Shaped, finished, and drilled to your 
specified hole pattern. Selection of any combin- 
ation of lengths, colors, or surface decorations. 
Price List 
24” Boards 6" wide For Decorated Surface 


1000 @ $3.00 ea. add 25¢ ea. 
500 @ $3.50 ea. add 50¢ ea. 
; 100 @ $4.00 ea. add 75¢ ea. 
© 50 @ $4.50 ea. add $1.00 ea. 
Shock pads to fit any truck 50¢ ea. 1 to 45 @ $5.00 ea. add $1.00 ea. 


ity di ts. 
CrantiyiGlseonnis For 27” length add 30¢ ea., for 6%” wide add 10%, 
for 7" wide add 15%. 


The square end Freestyle. ebetiy Terms: 
Send check with order. Add 6% sales tax for Cali- 


; Truck extenders 60¢ ea. Quantity discounts. fornia orders or resale permit card. 
Shipments will be made by UPS collect up to 100 
Ibs., or by common carrier collect over 100 Ibs. 
Special Shipment is guaranteed within 10 days of receipt of 
Round end Freestyle payment. For C.0.D. shipments add 5% to total 
7" fiberglass board drilled for Sidewalk Surfer or price. 
Grentec trucks, $4.00 ea. Special 
Quantity discounts available. production overruns and blems available at 40% discou 


Wanted salesman with van. 





e Best For Less 


The latest photo pictorial in brilliant colors... 
24” or 27” chassis, non-skid deck. 





ey 





eet 
1 


Skateboarder Motocross | ae 
Motocross II 


Wheels 





¢ 


Wide Slick $1.00 100 or more 75¢ 
Large Stoker $1.50 100 or more $1.25 
X-large Super Stoker $2.00 100 or more $1.75 


Truck wrenches 


$1.00 for skate wrench 
$2.00 for T-handle 


Photo pictorial T-shirts to m 
$5.00/ea. 100—$4.00/e¢ 





The Surfer 


The Amflex II 
all-aluminum double kick skateboard 
Gold, Red, Black, Green, Purple 
al New 6%" wide profile. 


” 


er 


Hang Ten’s new 450 SL 

“Wild Wide Ride” seems to create 
its own speed... with perfect 
control 

Features extra wide 7” fiberglass deck with 
measured flexibility . . . mew generation 7” wide 
trucks with smooth, hardened independent sus- ° 


pension axles designed to put you into 
faster turns, bring you out with more stability. 


New Mercury Blue Hang Ten “Big Dog’ 2 inch 
wide precision-molded urethane wheels have a 
rigid core and soft tracking edge for top speed 
and sure grip. Double-sealed precision bearings 
keep out dirt and dust, last longer and ride 
smoother. 

Unique %” rubber cushion between truck and 
board gives smoother, quieter ride, more road 
leg 1aee 

Get Hang Ten’s ‘Wild Wide Ride”. . . the new 
standard of excellence . . . for competing pros 
or weekend wonders. 


“The label that became a lifestyle” 





Hang Ten’s tough new 
“Skateboarder”, the first shoe 
designed exclusively for 

the sport. 

The famous Hang Ten feet . . . the mark of 


excellence in this new shoe designed by skate- 
boarders for skateboarders! 


Only the tough, long-wearing ‘’Skateboarder” 
(clr ZeL 


Extra Control and Stability — Especially 
designed wedge-bottomed sole . . . Taslan 
laces . . . reinforced cowhide . . . high cellar. 
Extra Wear and Protection — Double-thick 
toe ... riveted at stress points for superior 
strength . .. gumbo crepe sole with reinforced 


steel shank outlasts all other shoes. 

Extra Comfort and Durability — 
Padded collar cushioned insole 
super-soft Velura cowhide. 


For the surest way to protect 
your feet, look for ours. 


















hh et eae 


“pies 








EV VAccomiononeercueew tate 
growth to cool off your paws when noon 
is looking. Photo: Lance Trout, fmm 








Tunnel Flex single kick 24’ 





Banzai 27" Camber Flex 


1 





Tunnel Wheels 


rset Tt 
ee 


NTN precision bearings 


Power Glide Roller Sports 
Tracker Banzal 

Bennett Power Paws 
X-Caliber Gordon & Smith 
Chicago Precision 


Rolls Royce 
California Slalom Trucks 


We are one of the original skateboard 
outlets featuring only the best quality 
skateboards and accessories. Every 
board we sell is guaranteed to be of the 
highest quality. All boards and running 
gear are guaranteed against defects in 
material and workmanship. We offer per- 
sonalized customer service and immedi- 
ate mail order delivery to help you get the 
most pleasure and enjoyment out of your 
skateboarding anywhere. We also design 
and manufacture our own quality skate- 
boards, too! 


All of the boards pictured are available 
with any combination of equipment listed 
above—to include precision bearing 
wheels. For mail order information, write 
or phone us for prices. 





G & S Fiberflex Freestyle 26’ 









Banzai Mach | aluminum 24” 





Miramar Pultruded 24” 


Write for free mail order brochure BankAmericard and Master 


Charge accepted. 


Mitch’s 
4ist Avenue Skateboards 
14 West 41st Avenue 
San Mateo, Callfornia 94403 
Phone (415) 349-2573 


Distributors, O.E.M.'s & Dealer Inquiries Welcome 


Ray Flores and team available for demonstrations and 
contests. Electric timing lights available. 





 .UNNEL WHEELS 






Lae 


) 


= 


eee 


a 






















1976 CALIF. LAGUNA 





ro VN Mi). < 
- 1ST PLACE MEN’S'P 
a 2ND PLACE MEN'S PRO 


- 3RD PLACE MEN’S PRO 
- 

1976 CALIF. STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS 

VENTURA 

1ST PLACE TEAM TROPHY 

“ASTePLACE PRO DOWNHILL =e 

\CE SLALOM (BOYS) 







1ST PLACE TEAM TROPHY 
SIX INDIVIDUAL 1ST PLACE WINNERS 


Sims Pure Juice: Wheels come with)IKS" double-sealed precision bearings 


and spacer. ; 
Sims Pure Juice? Competitions (2%2'’ x 2%'’)—ultimate slalom and speed 
wheel. 

Sims Pure Juice: Bowl Riders (2%"" x 2%4"')—best traction wheel—super 
smooth. 

A Sims Pure Juice> Competition Wheel 6.75 
B Sims Pure Juice’ Bowl Rider Wheel 6.75 
C 2 Pure Juice: Wheels on Bennett Trk . 20.00 
D 24” or 27" Sims Stratoglass Blank 12.50 
E 27'' Sims S G Kicktail blank 15.95 
F Sims Pure Juice- T-Shirts (S.M,.L) 6:00 
G Sims Pure Juice Rugged Decals 1.00 | 
H ACS 650 Truck $8.25 each. 


Ask for price list =572 on Sims custom laminated ash boards; available in 
27", 30’, 36’, 44". 
Calif. Residents add 6% sales tax. 


1 | te 


12300 E, WASHINGTON BLVD., WHITTIER, CA 90606 
(213) 945-1133 


ra 





i ie} ’ t ! hy 
s*° Revolutionary. oot . ofelo] eh Lee So LaTe| ee). unreal performance for ao Hae (My 
oF slalom and freestyle iy Mag ‘ Ww i Oy 

* Adjustable spring tensiontor Prien requirements makes every other truck ei ey i MELO ry A | 
nn 17 Te bof foro ATM lui fetal oti ott a ra , i ee : ” vi a 
a “be pe i Pe Tae 
Cg ub ape eh, wee Te 
! (ihn Ts 1 Yo a oh ‘ ’ 
r ’ ne ' 
ete Because of the Spring Truck’s speed Ae oe if so eee for experts only. ny ney 
Ceol (ota is Spring Truck by mail, send $40.95 Sa tte (check one ot orden). f y | 


ih > 
Pa ain Rt ie me 
r . Pa wh a Co n ’ mw. ce cog 7! r 








LY co 
x 
oP ea es Pf onal Products — ve 

bY ca 4 vi iy -, 3 4 
be c(h as ig ee i park Dr. #402 4 

, . Bree) Cn: ae oe ’ 
; CRA b | 
. Dealer Inquiries evel my a 


«4.° i) ‘ Jt hh | 





Bahne: It's all the board you need. 


Lou 
5, 


5 


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® 


7) 
& 


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SAH l= 


Bahne is one of the oldest, most 
well-respected names in skate- 
boarding. It has been time-tested 
and proven under the most de- 
manding conditions. We believe 
that the more you know about 
skateboarding, the better the 
board you'll choose. Bahne can 
give you all the board you need. 

Bahne boards are wider to 
provide stability and maneuver- 
ability for high performance stunt 
riding. Made of unidirectional glass- 
struded fibreglass, the Bahne 


chassis combines strength with’ 


pliability. The non-skid deck is a 
must for safety. Six-weld unitized 
all-steel construction makes Bahne 
trucks the strongest and most dur- 
able on the market. New Cadillac 
wheels are available in four dif- 
ferent models to offer varying 
combinations of soeed control 
properties. 

Bahne’s high quality boards, 
trucks, and Cadillac wheels were 
custom designed to work together. 
However, every rider has unique 
needs, so the component parts 
are available separately fo allow 
unlimited versatility to meet vary- 
ing conditions and demands. Our 
broad price range ($30.00 to 
$60.00) puts Bahne quality within 
reach of any budget. All this allows 
you the freedom to design your 
own system to fit your individual 
specifications. Bahne: Its all the 
board you need. 


Bahne Skateboards, Post Office Box 326A, Encinitas, California 92024, (714) 753-0255